A Chance Encounter
by Kittey Rin
Summary: AU IYYYH xover. Kagome is driving down a country road in the middle of the rain. Suddenly, she hits a fox. Taking it in and caring for it, she soon finds out how hard it is to care for them. Especially when the fox is a certain bespelled Youko. [Fin]
1. Prologue: Rainy Night Reminisce

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story, except possibly the plot...although, of course, many other people have used this idea too. I wonder why I never saw one of these as a crossover...

A/N: This is my first crossover. I don't know how far it'll go, as I'm making it up on the spot. I know it's short, but it's a prologue chappie. Anyways, the more you review, the farther it'll go, and the longer I'll make my chapters! Please Review!

Edit: This has now been Beta-ed by Crazy idiot who is really Herman. Thanks a lot! X3

* * *

Rain pounded the windshield, unrelenting. It had been the same for the past few days, so why would today be any different, especially when it was the beginning of autumn. 

Kagome sighed from the driver's seat. Her least favorite driving weather, and her stuck on a washed-up country road.

"Just my luck," Kagome leaned over to turn up the radio. Hikari, the song that was currently playing, began to echo through the vehicle. "At least the radio is still working."

Kagome glared at her beat up red Toyota Nova. The paint was peeling, the window blades needed changing, it was running low on gas...Kagome was surprised that it was still holding up.

Hikari finished, and a new song began to play. Kagome listened and determined that it was a pretty fun song. Her fingers began to tap on the steering wheel, keeping in tempo with the fast paced song.

Her mind began to wander slightly. She began to wonder if her best friends, Sango, Kikyo and Rin, were still out with their respective boyfriends or not. She remembered that Sango and Miroku were out at a dance club, Kikyo and Koga were at a movie...probably...maybe...okay, probably not. Rin and her new husband should be in Mexico still, as they were newlyweds and still on their honeymoon.

Her mind then traveled to the amazing wedding that they had.

**_Flashback_**

Kagome, wearing a spaghetti-strap lavender dress and carrying a bouquet of sterling roses, walked down the aisle. She was the only bridesmaid that walked alone. After a long and exhausting fight with her best friend, Rin, she felt a great triumph. After all, it was rare and far between that anyone could win a fight with the raven-haired model.

Kagome turned to the left, and walked up the stairs to stand by the priest and await the others.

Sango and Miroku were next, Sango wearing a strapless, pale blue gown. The skirt was the latest kind, that of a rag style, and she wore fingerless gloves to complete her ensemble. It had taken Sango far longer to convince her cousin to allow the gloves, but in the end, Rin gave in. Miroku looked smashing in a midnight-blue tux.

The parted at the staircase, Sango detangling her blue carnations from Miroku arm.

Kikyo and Koga were next. Koga looked very annoyed, and Kagome giggled at his tux. Kikyo had almost strangled him, trying to get him into his pale yellow outfit. He heard the giggling and looked up, giving Kagome a look that reminded her of a lost puppy. Kikyo saw this and lightly hit him with her daisies. Her sunshine halter dress floated with her movements.

They, too, came to the staircase and parted, Kikyo scrambling to pick up her trailing skirts.

Next, and probably the best looking according to Kagome, was Rin's childhood friend and current flower girl, Yukina. Yukina's dress was a sea-green, off-the-shoulders type. Unlike the others, who had their hair down, her hair was done up in an elegant knot in the back of her head. Her escort, the best man and groom's brother, wore a deeper forest green tux. Yukina sported a basket of ferns instead of flowers.

Parting at the stairs, Yukina flashed a smile at her husband.

Kagome glanced at the nervous groom. Rin had, somehow, talked him into wearing white. It certainly brought out his golden eyes, and his white hair helped the entire ensemble.

"Calm down, 'Yasha. It's not the end of the world," Kagome whispered to her friend.

"Yes it is." Inuyasha shifted nervously and gulped audibly. Miroku glanced at him and sniggered, earning a glare from the bridesmaid's. "No more bachelor parties or strip clubs."

Kagome covered her mouth to stifle her laughter as the organ player began the bridal song.

The ornately carved wooden doors groaned as they opened, and Rin was revealed to the audience.

Her dress was a blood red, full skirted, and sleeveless, in opposition to the 'tradition' of white gowns. Her velvety dress was decorated with scarlet glass beads in intricate swirling patterns. The candlelight from the church's chandelier danced off of the beads, giving the illusion that Rin glowed with some otherworldly aura. Her ebony hair, usually kept a side pony, had been curled earlier and now tumbled out of a black hairnet. Her ears held a ruby eardrop each, and a single tear-shaped red diamond adorned her neck.

A slight blush touched her cheeks, and her scarlet gloves tightened around her bouquet of poinsettias. She had her arm threaded through her father's arm, who just happened to be one of the richest men in the world. They started towards the platform, Rin looking like she was floating towards her fiancée, rather than walking.

Kagome snuck another glance at the groom, and smiled at his lightening-struck expression.

**_End Flashback_**

A ringing phone broke Kagome's chain of memories and caused her to jerk the wheel to the side.

Straightening the piece of junk, Kagome took one hand off of the wheel to put it over her racing heart. "What the hell!" Reaching to the passenger's side, she dug through her purse to pick up the ringing contraption.

Flipping it open, she pulled up the antenna and pressed the green phone button. "Hello?"

"Hey Kag," Rin practically sang, splashing in the background. "It's Me!"

"Rin, you idiot," Kagome scolded. "You almost caused an accident!"

"Oops. Well, anyway, guess what!"

Kagome rolled her eyes quickly and shook her head. It was exactly like Rin to be hyper for no reason and brush off major things as if they were nothing. "I give up."

"No, you've gotta guess!" Kagome could practically see Rin jumping up and down with energy.

"Rin, unlike you, I'm driving in the middle of the dark, on the back roads, in the rain! You _know_ how much I hate this type of weather, so spit it out!"

"Fine, fine, you're no fun. Alrighty then, gonna tell you now. Yup. Now."

"Rin! Now!"

"Fine, I found you the perfect guy down here. His name is Jose, and he has the greatest ass!"

Kagome nearly dropped the phone as Rin continued to rant. Rin's one goal in life seemed to be to get Kagome hooked up, as she was the only single one of all of her friends. "Rin, you little brat! You know I don't want to date right now, and that I have no time for guys! My job takes up too much time! And, putting that aside, this had better not be all you called about!"

"Oh, fine. But that's not all. Kagome...I'm pregnant! Inu and I are having a baby!"

Kagome once again almost dropped the phone, but this time for an entirely different reason. "What? When did you find out? Is it a boy or girl?"

Rin giggled on the other end. "We just found out about an hour or so ago. And Inu and I want to keep it a surprise, so we don't know what the gender is."

"Congrats! Who else did you tell?"

"Sango and Miroku know, along with Kikyo and Koga. I'm going to call my sister after this."

"Yukina will be ecstatic. You had better prepare for a shopping spree or two. In fact, I suggest you move and not tell her where."

Rin laughed again, and Kagome heard Inuyasha inquire about the joke. Rin moved the phone to tell her husband what Kagome had just said, and within moments Inuyasha's laughter rang into Kagome's ear.

"Inu says that's too true and that if we want to catch her before she leaves for work I have to hang up."

Kagome laughed slightly and shook her head again. "I understand. I'll see you when you come back, 'kay?"

"Alrighty! Adios!" Kagome heard more giggling from her best friend before the line was cut off.

Kagome closed her phone and used her chin to push the antenna down, and threw the phone back into the purse.

Turning her attention back to the radio, the rain began to pick up. Kagome immediately scowled, and shifted her wipers so that they moved at the fastest speed possible.

"Damn wipers," Kagome breathed, as the offending blades began to trail streaks of water across the glass.

Nearly screaming with frustration, when the windshield began to fog up, Kagome leaned over to the radio and turned on the air. She cranked the heating dial to the warmest setting, and then sat back.

To find that she was about to hit something. Panicking, Kagome again jerked the wheel to the side. The animal in question took one look at the oncoming vehicle and tried to dodge, but failed.

Kagome's car hit a patch of slick leaves on the road and her car spun. She tried to brace herself, but nothing could be done. She held her breath and began to pray. Seconds went by, but to both the animal and Kagome, it seemed like eternity.

Kagome let out all of her breath in a scream as her car ran over the creature. A sickening crack was heard as lightening flashed. Kagome continued to spin and went off the road. Her car hit a tree, and she knew no more.

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End Chapter

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Any comments? Questions? Suggestions? Please Review!  



	2. Ch1: The Accident and the Aftermath

A/N: I would like to take a moment out to say thank you to the people who reviewed. It means a lot to me. Also, I would like to warn all Youko lovers that he is a little out of character in this chapter, but I will explain soon.

Disclaimer: The only things I own in this story are the plot and Kei, who you will meet soon. Now, to the story!

Edit: This chapter has now been Beta-ed by Crazy idiot who is really Herman.

* * *

Kagome groaned from the car wreck. Her head was pounding, and she could feel some sort of liquid flowing down her chest. Disoriented, and thoroughly battered, Kagome began to untwine herself from the wreck. First to fall out of the mangled car was her torso, soon followed by her legs after they were disentangled from the ripped seat belt and shattered dashboard.

Staggering, Kagome stumbled to the roadside. Lying in the middle of it was a bloody silver fox.

Kagome's immediate thought was that she had killed it. She whimpered and weaved over to the body. Tears began to form in her eyes; she had never meant to kill anything. Never. Freezing rain pelted her shivering body as she picked up and cradled the body to her own.

The fox took a breath. It sighed, as if a great burden had been lifted, but Kagome didn't notice. She was too busy relieving that she wasn't a murderer after all.

"Oh, gods, you're all right! I thought for sure you were dead! But what am I thinking, I should be getting you to a vet!" Kagome scrambled to her feet and turned to her car.

If it was barely drivable before, there was no salvaging it now. The passenger's side was completely wrapped around a giant oak tree. All four tires were punctured by the metal framing and the trunk had been thrown halfway across the forest area. The front end was pushed in at least an inch, the front bumper was nowhere to be found and glass was scattered everywhere within twenty feet of the tree. There was no way that anything could be salvaged from it.

"Dam it." Kagome growled as she stalked over to the drivers side. Scrounging around the ruins, and getting more then a few cuts, Kagome searched for her purse.

"I know it's here somewhere...Aha! There it is!" Kagome glared at the bag, which was suspended from a branch in the tree.

Scowling, Kagome looked down at the fox in her arms. He looked so innocent. And he was loosing blood fast. She couldn't just leave him like this. She knew he would die.

Making a split decision, Kagome ripped off her shirt, exposing her creamy stomach and a black satin bra. After gently setting down the bloody and dieing creature, Kagome began to shred her green chenille top, a birthday gift from her friends, into strips. Using said strips, she began to create crude bandages for the fox.

Standing and dusting off her hands, Kagome turned and looked for a good branch to help her begin her climb. Seeing none in her current view, she circled. When she approached the back, a suitable one was found.

Crouching low to the ground, her black nylon pants stretching to their utmost, Kagome sprang forward and caught the eyed branch.

However, since she hadn't calculated for the rain making the bark a little slick, she fell right back to the earth.

"Damn tree. You just want to make my life hell, don't ya?" she shouted to the immobile plant. "You couldn't have helped me even a _little_?" Not getting a response, Kagome crouched again and tried once more.

It took her three more tries before she was able to pull herself up. Scrambling swiftly through the branches, Kagome was quickly able to make her way to her bag. Digging out some money and her cell, she dropped from the tree.

Kagome looked at the fox laying on what was left of the passenger's seat. Sighing for the loss of even more clothing, Kagome used a piece of scrap metal to cut off the legs to her beautiful pants and create a makeshift sling out of them. Stuffing her money into her pocket, slinging the mummified fox onto her back and dialing the police, Kagome set off down the road to town.

* * *

A police car pulled up in front of an animal hospital. Instantly, a group of veterinarians swarmed out of the buildings like hornets from a disrupted nest. A stretcher was brought out and a bloody green bundle was taken from the arms of a scantly dressed, raven-haired woman. Not paying attention to her, the vets rushed the ailing animal into the barking and hissing hospital, the main doctor shouting orders to the nurses to retrieve items and for bystanders to make way.

Kagome, who stood there dumbly, looked into her now empty arms. They had just whisked him -or was he really a her? - away, completely ignoring her. Somehow, Kagome felt alone without him -her, it- in her arms.

"Excuse me, Miss." The police-woman tapped Kagome's shoulder, making her wince. "We should really get you to the hospital. You look like your coming down with something, a cold at least."

Kagome nodded mutely and surveyed her own well-being.

Kagome was soaked from the rain, and as she thought of this, she sneezed. Sniffling, she began to poke at her stomach. She winced again as she came to some nasty bruises. One her chest was a deep gash, with blood still pouring out of it sluggishly. Her leg, now that she was acknowledging her hurt, began to make its own injuries known. With a yelp, it crumpled from underneath Kagome.

"Are you alright?" The woman asked, starting forward to help up the fallen victim.

"I'm fine, I think." Kagome stood with the help of the woman, favoring her injured leg.

"I'm getting you to a doctor of your own." Against Kagome's protests, the woman began to pull her to the car. "No buts! You're injured badly yourself, and on top of that, at high risk for pneumonia already! It may have stopped raining, but that almost makes your situation worse!"

Opening the door, the woman gently pushed Kagome into the vehicle. "You can sue me _after_ you see a doctor. I'm Kea, by the way."

Kea slammed the door and made her way to her side.

Kagome smiled slightly before a dizzy spell washed over her, taking with its passing the rest of her energy. Kagome closed her eyes as she began to fight down nausea. It got even harder to control when not only she experienced the pothole-filled city road, she also soon discovered that blood was caked over her scalp and matted in her hair.

She had never really been one to stomach much blood and gore, but this had been the limit. Kagome blacked out.

* * *

_Where am I? What happened?_

These thoughts were the primary one's that rolled around in Youko Kurama's head.

He was very disoriented and confused. The last thing he remembered was helping Suuichi and his friends during a demon fight... After that, nothing but fuzzy glimpses of a road, a bright flash of light, and an attractive young woman.

Opening his eyes, his vision was filled with a large medical area. Off the corner of his vision, Youko could see some kind of cages. He didn't know that hospitals, for that was surely the only place he could be, had cages. That was something he would have to ask Suuichi about. He could smell the sterility of the room, and hear shifting noises of the other residents. The smell hurt his sensitive nose, and the sound was like a hammer pounding on a gigantic bell.

Youko tried to move his head, but it was stiff and sore. He tried his legs nest, but they were bound straight. He tried his arms then but they...

_Weren't there._

Youko began to panic. Fear filled his golden eyes. He searched his conscious to find his human half, but when he did, he became even more frantic.

His human half was completely unconscious. That had never happened before.

Unlike most people thought, Youko Kurama had a heart. He cared for people who didn't judge him, and for people who cared for him in return. Suuichi Minnamino was the first person to accept Youko as he was then, a bloody murderer with an uncontrollable lust for women, and not think a thing of it. Youko would do anything for his human half, and this just added to the problem of being in his fox form.

This didn't bode well at all.

Youko heard a door open and close, and rattling. His panic-filled eyes turned as far as he could, and he could barely glimpse someone moving around the cages. He heard a bark, and much growling. The human was cooing and making soothing noises to the beast, and Youko realized that he was in an animal's hospital.

That confused him even further. Why would they put a human into an animal hospital? Unless...

Unless he was still in his Youko form. Either that, or fox form. Better to prepare for the worst.

Youko began to really panic then. After all, Suuichi had always told him that if he was ever caught in his Youko form, he would be capture, sedated and put under scientific investigation. Which meant that he was about to be ripped open, have his insides gutted out, examined, and stuffed back into his body like it was stuffing! Then they would bleed him for further information and put all kinds of hormones into his body and make him breed all kinds of kits for further study and make him run on one of those thing for hours and if they found out his plant abilities...

_Who ever said murderers have no imagination should be put to a Death Tree._

The doctor turned and walked over to the table, one hand in her pocket. She was pretty attractive, in a crazed-doctor-woman sort of way. She had light blue hair, pulled back into a ponytail. She reminded Youko of Botan, the young ferry girl that assisted Yuusuke, with the exception of the eye color. Where Botan's was a cotton-candy pink, this woman's were a deep ocean blue.

"Hello you rascal. What did you do to get yourself here, Youko?" she asked in a British-accented voice. She sounded amazingly like the chipper

Youko began to panic again and strained to lift his limbs. The doctor noticed his distress and took pity on him, laughing nervously.

"Calm down, Kurama." The doctor waved for him to lie back onto the cold metal table. "It's me, Botan!"

Youko, who had fallen back with surprise, stared wide-eyed as Botan pulled out blue-colored contacts.

"You really think I would go on an assignment in the human world, in a place where some of the highest criminal activity is along with the highest population of spiritually aware people on the planet without at _least_ wearing contacts to block my spirit energy, do you?" She looked at Youko with a depressed expression wrought on her pretty face. "You're mean."

Youko just kept staring. After all, it wasn't every day you make a fool of yourself in front of a team member -with the exception of Kuwabara-, especially when you have a certain reputation to uphold.

"Don't worry; I won't hold it against you!" Botan said, her mood swinging completely around. "Listen, you might be acting a little off and having a hard time remembering things for a while." Youko cocked his head. "It'll be because of some of the drugs effects. Now, can you tell me what happened?"

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End Chapter

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Any Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please Review! 


	3. Ch2: Adoptions Galore

A/N: Sorry for the late chapter, but I was stumped. It's a little shorter than I would like, but if I would continue it would be too long, and I don't know if you readers like long chapters.

I need a little help from you, though. I'm going to introduce Hiei next, and I need opinions. Does he stay a part of the Spirit Detectives, or is he something like Kagome's neighbor? Also, is he still related to Yukina? Please give your opinion, as I'm stumped here. Thank you.

Disclaimer: I only own the mousey assistant. Everything else is Trade-Marked by their respective creators.

Edit: This has been Beta-ed by Crazy idiot who is really Herman.

* * *

Botan blinked. "So let me get this straight. You were in the middle of a fight, which you won." Youko nodded. "You saw one of the women -priestesses, really- escape, and decided to follow." 

Another nod was seen.

"You followed her to the forest just outside the portal in Demon world, where she was waiting for you." He nodded again. "She then said something you couldn't understand, and you attacked. A wave of power surrounded her, and then swept outward to include you. You changed into your fox form, she tried to kill you with the wind, and you fled. Correct so far?" Youko rolled his eyes and nodded again.

"You had no spirit energy left and were then chased. She was shooting blades of wind at you in which some of them hit you. You were able to make it back to the portal, but were quickly becoming exhausted from having the earlier fight. You fled through the portal, which closed behind you, and ran into the road, where you were then hit by an oncoming vehicle and can't remember anything after that. Right?"

Youko heaved a sigh and nodded again. _Don't forget, the crazed priestess did something to Suuichi. He hasn't gained consciousness yet._

Botan, who was somehow able to understand Youko, nodded. "How am I going to explain this to Mr. Koenma?"

Youko shrugged. He was feeling a lot better now that the drug was wearing off. A lot more like him and less like a blabbering kit. Never again would he willingly take a...sedative, was it? Yes, that's what Botan had called the horrible solution.

"Okay, well, the next thing to do would be to find a place for you to stay." Botan stood from where she had been sitting, on the edge of the table. "And it has to be a place where nobody would think of," Botan scolded when Youko was about to suggest one of the Spirit Detectives.

_Oh, fine. But it has to be someone _I_ help choose,_ Youko told the ferry girl stubbornly.

"Ugh, fine. So should I just start to list people?" Youko gave a fox scowl and nodded. Botan then began to list off prospective candidates.

An hour later, they still hadn't come to an agreement.

"And I say Genkai would be a horrible choice! It's too close to Demon Realm. I don't care what you say; Mr. Koenma would never permit it! We can't do her." Botan crossed her arms. "And that's final."

Youko's reply was abruptly cut short with a knock to the door before it tentatively opened to reveal a small, mousy girl.

"Excuse me, Dr. Yoshizawa, but that lady that dropped of the fox earlier would like to speak to you. She says it's urgent." The girl made a hasty exit after delivering the message.

Botan snapped her fingers. "I've got it! We can send you with that woman!"

Youko's jaw dropped, and Botan took his silence as an affirmative. "I knew we could agree on _something_ within the year! I'll go persuade her."

Botan left, Youko still with shock wrought over his silver face. _Wait a minute! Botan!_

_

* * *

_

Kagome shuffled her feet. She had always hated waiting. Even though her job included a lot of patience, waiting for someone to arrive and for someone to speak were two different things, especially since she could tolerate the latter.

Her foot accidentally slid into the chair leg, and she grimaced.

After she had fainted, she had woken in a hospital chair. She had been disoriented, and jumped up. Unintentionally, she had ripped the IV out of her arm. There was a nice bruise building there. She would have to watch it for a few days.

After getting her newest injury, the nurse had come in and scolded her. She then told Kagome what had been bandaged and where it would be sore. At the moment, Kagome had a bandage around her knee, her upper chest, and her lower right wrist. She had actually sprained it, so her wrist was covered with a splint, too. She had needed stitches in her head, and felt really lucky that she had been unconscious at the time. That was the extent of her major hurts, and she had many small bandages and bruises throughout the rest of her body.

Kagome looked up as a doctor approached her. Kagome personally thought she was very pretty, almost model-like. Her sky blue hair was matted and falling out of her pony-tail, and her eyes were as dark a blue as her hair was light. It made a gorgeous contrast, and Dr.Yoshizawa looked like she ran and lifted weights regularly. Kagome greatly envied women like her.

"Hello," Dr. Yoshizawa greeted in a beautiful British accent. "I'm Dr. Yoshizawa. You were the woman that brought in the fox, yes?"

"Right," Kagome said, nodding. "Is he still here?"

"Yes. I wanted to talk to you about him." Botan sat down next to Kagome and crossed one leg, the slit in her black skirt parting slightly to reveal a creamy white leg. "After much examination, I have discovered that he is a tame fox that ran away. We need to find him a new home." Botan smiled inside as she saw the surprise on Kagome's face. "If we try to release him into the wild, he wouldn't last a day. We need to find him a home."

Kagome noticed her jaw was hanging open and quickly snapped it shut. "What are you saying?"

"I'm not saying anything." Botan sighed. "I'm asking if you would adopt the fox that you hit. We have been looking for his owner, but have been unable to find them."

"Are you nuts?" Kagome screamed as she stood. Her leg screamed at her, but it was conveniently ignored. "I can't have a pet! I don't have enough time, or money! You're going to have to find someone else."

Botan shook her head. "We can't. He is just a fox, if an unusually colored one, so we can't keep him alive under the label of rare and endangered species. We also can't release him, for reasons I told you of. He will be euphonized."

Kagome took a breath. They would euphonize them for _that_? That was totally unfair! How could they do that?

Then again, replied Kagome's more rational part, they wouldn't be able to. A fox like him would need proper care. They wouldn't have the _time._

_But _I _don't have the time. I'm too busy with work, and my social life-_

That wasn't right. Sure, Kagome had a big social life. But this was a life she was talking about. What are a couple nights out to a _life_? It wasn't right. Kagome felt horrible. She shouldn't even be _thinking_ about this. It would be going against everything she stood for! Namely all of those P.E.T.A donations she sent every year!

"Well..." Kagome trailed. Botan leaned forward slightly. "I guess I _could_ adopt him, but..." She never got to finish her sentence.

Botan leaped up and squealed. "Wonderful! I'll go get him ready." Dr. Yoshizawa ran off before Kagome could blink.

"That was weird," Kagome mumbled. She walked up to the counter, limping slightly, and addressed the mouse-girl. "Excuse me? I'd like to adopt."

* * *

"Youko!" 

Youko jumped as the door crashed open, almost getting knocked off it's hinges in the process, and a bubbly Dr. Yoshizowa burst through. "I got her!"

Youko, who had a moment before been trying to stretch out his sore muscles, and test his injuries, turned and blinked. _Stop doing that, would you?_ Youko slowly relaxed as he discovered yet another pulled muscle.

**_On a happier note,_** spoke a tenor voice; **_I've awakened, though I'm still weak._**

Botan squealed again, ran to the table and threw her arms around the silver fox. "It's so good to have you back, Suuichi!"

Two voices protested and were ignored by the ecstatic ferry girl. "Now I don't have to tell Mr. Koenma that your dead! Listen, I've got you a place to stay."

_I've already told him._ The fox wriggled, and Botan released them.

"Oh, well, the woman's name is Kagome." Botan whipped out a blue record book. "Age twenty-three, she is a physical therapist at Terapia Física Hospital. She likes to go out with friends and has been single most of her life. She has a sweet disposition and attracts many suitors. Her most persistent are her boss, Toguro Gensou, and her co-worker, Naraku Densetsu. Not much is known about either, except the former is very wealthy and the latter has been labeled as a stalker many times. She has one brother, Souta Higurashi, her mother, Satori Higurashi, and her grandfather, Seigi Higurashi, who live in the Sunset Shrine across town." Botan closed the book.

**_From what Youko can recall, she sounds friendly._** Suuichi sighed. **_Sorry to cut it short, but I'm running out of energy._**

"That's fine. I'll take Youko to Kagome now." Botan put her book back into the pocket from whence it came, and picked up Youko. "Let's go."

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End Chapter

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Gensou Illusion  
Densetsu Legend  
Satori Enlightenment  
Seigi Justice

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And comments? Questions? Suggestions? Please review!  



	4. Ch3: A Place to Call Home

A/N: Okay, new chapter out finally. My next one should be soon, as the next part SHOULD be easy to write. No guarantees, though. Hopefully I can bring in the villains, and maybe another friend.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, not even my own life. My life belongs to my family, both my real and friend-filled one, and these characters belong to their respective authors.

Edit: Beta-ed by Crazy idiot who is really Herman.

_

* * *

_

_NO!_

**_I agree! No!_**

"C'mon, Youko, Suuichi, it'll look suspicious otherwise! All of the other adopted dogs get one. This is the only one left that'll fit you. Now put it on!"

Botan grabbed Youko before he could run away. She wrestled the struggling fox into a corner, pinning him to the ground. The ferry girl grabbed the hissing Youko by the scruff of his neck, ignoring both his and his human half's protests. She warred with the two of them for a few moments before she backed up. In her hand was a rope, and on the other end was a disgruntled and annoyed fox.

_This is so degrading. We're supposed to be powerful! We're supposed to be the masters!_

**_I'm afraid I have to agree with him, Botan. We _****could_ just walk by you, we don't need this._**

"Sorry boys, standard procedure. Now, how about we go visit your new buddy?" Botan started to walk, but didn't get far.

_We are NOT going out there wearing this._

"Well, you really don't have any choice." Botan dashed forward, scooped up the unsuspecting two-some, and ran out the door.

Botan walked into the waiting room just as Kagome finished signing the adoption sheet. "Now, I need a name for him."

"How about Yukii," Botan suggested. Kagome jumped and spun.

"D-Dr. Yoshizawa! Please don't do that." Kagome tested her foot to make sure it was doing all right. "I'm still on edge from the accident."

"Ah, I see. Well, do you like Yukii?"

_Yukii? Why Yukii?_

"Because of his fur, right," Kagome lifted the black, felt-tipped pen to her chin. "I kinda like it. It has a nice ring to it." She put the pen to paper, leaving a small black dot on her chin, and scribbled Yukii messily into the blank name slot. "Thank you."

"No problem!" Botan said cheerfully. She set down Youko, now Yukii, and handed the leash to Kagome. She ignored Youko's insults as he protested being treated like an animal. "Everything seems to be in order, so I'll just give you a few last minute instructions.

"This guy, as we found out in a very short time, loves to be treated like a king. He also has a big attitude problem, and doesn't take to scolding or punishment well. We also found that he doesn't like raw meat, but we don't know what else he likes or dislikes. As for exercise, he seems to like running and playing. That's all, I think."

Kagome nodded. "Did he get his shots?" Botan nodded. "Alright, thank you." Kagome took the leash. "You ready to go, Yukii?"

Youko looked at Botan, but it was Suuichi who spoke. **_I suggest you give her a number. Youko might give her some trouble._**

_I most certainly will _not, Youko protested. _The worst I will do is take a peak once and a while._

Botan looked appalled "Would you like a number, in case you have any questions?"

"Sure." Kagome dug into her pocket and pulled out a couple twenties, a paper-clip, a pack of bubblegum and an old movie stub. She set them on the front desk, and grabbed a pen and the old stub. "What is it?"

After receiving the number, Kagome thanked Botan and stuffed everything back into her pocket. "Let's go, Yukii. We need to pick up some stuff and I still need to call a ride."

Youko gave Botan a forlorn look, which was answered with a smile and friendly wave. "Enjoy your new friend, Ms. Higurashi!"

Kagome waved back and walked out the door, Youko following reluctantly.

* * *

"Now, let's see. What was her number?" Kagome, who was sitting at an outdoor cafe table, furrowed her brow. "Why is it I can never remember Sango's number whenever I need it?"

_I can't believe I agreed to this,_ Youko groaned out.

**_Not my fault. You were the one who agreed with Botan. I learned _****my_ lesson a long time ago._**

_Oh, shut up. You've had more opportunities._

Suuichi snickered and then became silent.

"Aha!" Kagome called. "Now I remember." Kagome quickly dialed Sango's number. The phone rang, then someone answered.

"Hello?" asked a woman in a smooth, if a little groggy, alto voice.

"Sango! I'm so glad I got a hold of you." Kagome, Youko's leash on her wrist, rubbed her forehead. "I'm sorry to bug you, but I really need some help."

"What? Why are you calling so early?" Sango asked with a yawn.

"Listen Sango, I got in a car crash and made a new friend. Can you pick me up?" Kagome blurted in a rush. She held her breath as Sango digested this.

Silence at the other end. Then...

"Oh my god! What happened? Where are you? Are you alright?" Kagome grimaced and quickly pulled the phone away from her ear. She could still hear Sango rambling off questions and heard Miroku shouting fire in the background.

"She's a little crazy, right?" Kagome addressed Youko. Youko just looked up from where he was lying with his head on his paws. "Right, Ride." Kagome cautiously put the phone to her ear again. "Sango! Shut up for a minute!"

Kagome heard Sango's teeth click together. "Sorry."

"That's okay. I'll explain later, but I'm on the corner of fourteenth and Magnolia, at the Young Cafe. Can you come get me?"

"Fine, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Sango hung up.

Kagome closed her phone and stared at it for a moment. She then looked at Youko. "Yukii, whaddya say about a late night snack?" Youko wagged his bushy silver tail. Kagome smiled. "M'kay, is a cheeseburger alright?"

* * *

Kagome and Youko looked up from their meals at the same time. Kagome now had a bag sitting by her leg, and she raised one of her eyebrows as a black jaguar pulled up to the curve. Pet and owner watched as the engine was cut and a tall, curvaceous brunette stepped out from the driver's side. She wore a tailored black skirt with a three-quarter length white shirt. Both were a wrinkled mess, which suggested that they had been taken directly from the hamper. The woman's hair was pulled high into a pony-tail, and her shirt was pulling from where she had hastily tucked it into her skirt. She slammed the door shut, slinging a small black purse over her shoulder. Her heels tapped out a staccato beat as she shuffled over to Kagome and Youko.

"Sango, why did you take the Jag?" Kagome stood with a smile, Youko's new red leash on a bike rack, and greeted her friend with a hug.

**_So that's Sango?_** Suuichi gave Youko a mental prod.

_I guess so. She's a looker, definitely. _Youko shook his head. _No poking, remember?_

**_Sorry, but you were spacing out._**

_I definitely would like to be the guy that gets to meet her when she gets back, _Youko told his other while looking down Sango's shirt as she leaned down to pet him.

**_Youko!_** Suuichi berated him. He was conveniently ignored.

"Aw, Kag, he's so handsome! Look at his fur! It's beautiful!" Sango began to scratch behind his ears. "Aren't you?" She smiled, her perfect teeth showing slightly.

"Yeah." Kagome shifted uneasily. "I kinda hit him with my Nova."

Sango stood and spun, and both Suuichi and Youko were amazed at her speed, especially seeing as she was in two inch heels. "You _what_? Explain now." She folded her arms.

Kagome rubbed her arm. "I was putting away my cell after Rin called and he just jumped out. The police want to talk to me later, something about my car being wrapped around a tree." Kagome wasn't looking at Sango, who had her mouth open in a gape. "I was taken to the hospital after the Kea, the policewoman that picked me up, dropped Yukii there off at an animal hospital. Later, when I went to visit, I found out they were going to put him down if he wasn't adopted. So, I took him." Kagome looked up.

"You wrapped your car around a _TREE_? What were you doing?" Sango strode over to her friend. She began to look her over, checking her injuries. "How badly were you hurt?"

Kagome looked at Yukii, who was looking up Sango's skirt. Wait, that wasn't right. Looking _at_ Sango's skirt. Animals didn't look up people's skirts for a look. They got curious. "Didn't you listen to me? I said I went to a hospital."

Sango stood, having just examined Kagome's leg. People who were up and about at that early hour were giving them weird looks. "Sorry Kag, but you lost me at 'tree'. You'll have to explain again in the car." Sango grabbed Youko's leash and led him to the car. He gladly followed.

"Sango," Kagome muttered, glaring half-heartedly at her friend. She grabbed her shopping bag and followed the two to the car.

* * *

The jaguar pulled to a stop in from of a dark brown town-house. Kagome gathered her stuff. "Thanks so much, Sango."

"Your welcome," Sango leaned over and hugged her friend before she stepped out of the car. "Get checked again soon."

Kagome nodded and got out. She opened the back door and picked up Youko, balancing her bag and the silver fox. She used her hip to shut the door after promising to visit the doctor in another week. She backed up as Sango pulled away, and watched her drive off into the night.

"Now, How about we get inside?" Kagome asked Youko as she set him down. He jumped the last foot or so from her arms, landing gracefully on the grey pavement. Kagome smiled. "Can't wait, huh? Let's go."

Kagome walked up to the door. She juggled with the bag for a moment, searching her pocket for her key. Making a sign of triumph, she pulled it out and stuck it into the door. The lock clicked. Opening the door, Youko followed Kagome into the dark house. "Let's get some light, shall we?"

She flipped a switch and light flooded into the darkest corners of the space. The room was revealed to be a very messy living area. The couch had boxes filled with documents in it, the only chair in the room was piled with what appeared to be laundry. The twenty inch television sat on top of a microwave cart in the middle of the back wall, next to a stereo system. There were two bookshelves next to the front door that were filled with books, magazines and movies. A staircase lead off to the left, and a kitchen could be glimpsed through an opening to Youko's right.

"A little messy, I know, but I've been a little bit busy. Make yourself at home." Kagome tossed her keys into a bowl filled with knickknacks and even more keys on a table next to the door. "I'll put your stuff away, and then we can get you settled. I'll let you out for now."

Youko trailed behind Kagome as she walked through a very modern, black kitchen, past the fridge and to a sliding door. The door lead to what Youko and Suuichi both knew must be the backyard, and Kagome unlocked it and slid it open. "You be good, and I'll get you soon."

She unlatched Youko's collar and pushed him outside. The door closed behind her, and Youko could hear her picking up her mess. He began to explore, after relieving himself in a fenced corner.

Thick wire mesh covers the perimeter of the lot. A small vegetable garden grew in one corner, filled with a variety of produce. A giant oak had claimed the other corner, providing an excellent place for shade if Youko ever needed it. There was something about it, though, and neither Youko nor Suuichi could place it. They trotted over and looked through the branches.

They soon found the offending object. A short man dropped from the high branches, his legs bending to catch his weight. His black cloaked billowed out as a breeze fluttered through the yard. His gravity-defying hair ruffled in the wind, and his white bandana stood out against his forehead. His blood red, murderous eyes rested on Youko.

Youko whooped and Suuichi shouted **_Hiei!_**

Hiei glared. "Found you, damned fox. What happened?"

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions?  



	5. Ch4: Meet the Villans

A/N: Alright, I have little time left because my computer time has been cut down to an hour. As a result, expect about a chapter every week, likely no more then that. Also, in a few weeks I'll be without computer access for twelve days. Expect chapter update delays.

One other thing before the disclaimer. The only reason that I write author notes is because I need to tell the reader stuff. If you have questions, I'll gladly answer them through e-mail. If you are not able to get to my e-mail, or don't have one, then maybe I'll consider answering some questions. Not until then.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything but the plot and Himi. They're mine.

* * *

Youko and Suuichi began to blurt everything at the same time.

_We were hit_-

**_This woman adopted us_-**

Hiei sighed inwardly before grabbing Youko by the scruff and pulling him to eye level. Both voices stopped. "One at a time,"Hiei told them. "Fox, you first."

_You know you _could_ just read our minds._ Hiei glared. _Fine, fine. _Youko quickly told Hiei about the wierd spellcaster, the crash and seeing Botan at the animal hospital. He conviniently left out the part where he panicked. Wouldn't do his reputation any good to have rumors flying about the Great Fox Theif panicking, would it?

"Idiot fox." Hiei dropped Youko. "I have a message from Koenma."

_**What is it?**_ Suuichi asked while Youko insulted Hiei.

"He wants the Spirit Detectives, particularily you, to keep an eye out for a person with high spiritual abilities in this area. There also appears to be a handful of demons, too."

Youko stopped his ranting. _Demons? Where?_

Hiei smirked. "Not that your in any shape to fight them. Besides, you would be beaten in a flash. Your aura's as weak as a class E. I could take you down with one hand.

" Hiei jumped into the tree. "I'll check up on you again, fox. Try not to mess things up too much." He disappeared.

Youko stared after him. _That was weird_.

**_Tell me about it,_** Suuichi echoed, sighing.

_That was really weird._

_**You weren't supposed to answer me.**_

Youko mentally poked Suuichi in annoyence. _Shut up, kit._

_**I asked you to not call me that.**_ Suuichi's mind-voice was filled with contempt.

The patio door slid open. "Yukii!" Kagome called. "Come on back in."

Youko trotted back and Kagome slid the door back into place. "Is this better?" Kagome asked as she locked the door.

As an answer, Youko navigated the now clean room to the couch. He leapt up and curled, yawning.

"I take that as a yes. Well, you can sleep there for now. Tomorrow, though, you get your own bed." Kagome flipped the light switch and felt her way to the staircase, still limping slightly. "Goodnight, Yukii," she called over her shoulder.

Youko was already asleep.

* * *

Kagome awoke with a jerk. Youko was at the foot of her bed, and someone was at the door. 

"Coming!" Kagome called down. She shifted, trying not to wake the sleeping fox, and shuffled out of the room. She stumbled down the stairs to the door, brushed her matted and tangled hair behind her ears, and looked through the peep-hole.

Outside, a tall man stood against the white door frame. His long and scraggaly, waist-length hair looked like it hadn't been washed in his entire life. He had the air of someone very important and asnine, punctuated greatly by his khaki pants and chanelle shirt. He casually crossed his legs, taking great pains to make sure that his shiny black shoes weren't scuffed by the dusty and chipped cement step he stood on.

Kagome groaned. She stepped back from the door, unlocked it, and slowly opened the door. "Mr. Densetsu! What a surprise."

The man, now identified as Mr. Densetsu, stood straight and flashed a pearly white smile, his perfect teeth glinting in the morning sun. "Now, Kagome. Please, we've known each other far too long. It's Naraku, remember?" He stepped into the room.

Kagome nearly gagged. She had never gotten a very good feeling from him, and the thought of being closer then necessary didn't appease to her one bit. In fact, she'd rather dance in a pool of sharks wearing freshly cut pork then be anything but a co-worker to Mr. Densetsu. "Sorry Mr. Dense- Naraku." Kagome shuddered with revulsion.

Naraku didn't notice and continued on. "Well, you didn't show up this morning. Dr. Gensou wanted me to know if you were coming in at all. If you don't, I'm to say that Himi will be taking over for you today, but you owe her one."

Kagome nodded, and thank any diety that was listening for Himitsu. Her co-worker was a great pal, and they worked really well together. They could always count on one another to take up the slack when they missed some work for one reason or another.

Kagome glanced at her watch and bit back a cry of surprise at the time. It was almost one! Well, she had no doubt that she wasn't going to go in this morning. She turned over in her mind what she could do if she stayed home. She could nurse her still aching but somewhat healed bruises and get Yukii settled, or suffer through an hour of work only to get saddled with a bunch of paperwork she still had to do. The former was more appealing, so she cvoiced her choice.

"I don't think I'll be going to work today." Kagome paused for a moment before adding "Tell Himi I said hi."

Naraku started forward. "You know, if your not doing anything tonight, I know of a great new restaurant," he told her seductively.

Kagome backed up quickly and quickly stammered "Thanks, but I'm really not feeling that good."

Naraku paid no heed to her refusals. "Now, Kagome, you and I could go out to the fancy restaurant." A step forward. Kagome stepped back. "I could present you with a lovely black dress that I saw the other day." Another step forward, another back. "You and I could then take a walk along the lake shore." Another, and another. "The moon shining on your lovely face, the breeze ruffeling your lovely dress." Another step, Kagome was at the wall. "What do you say?" He leaned forward, his bass voice purring as he trapped a panicking Kagome between her wall and his body.

Kagome widened her eyes when Naraku screamed and flipped around. "What the hell!" he shouted with fury. Kagome followed his gaze and saw Yukii snarling at Naraku from the couch, a peice of khaki-colored cloth between his two forepaws.

Naraku stormed over to the couch. Kagome stood in the corner, still partially paralyzed, as Naraku made a grab for Yukii. Yukii danced away from Naraku's hand, darting forward to claw at his outstretched hand.

_Take that, you stupid demon!_ Youko shouted with glee as he attacked Naraku's arm again with his claws.

He darted back again as Naraku tumbled forward in an attempt to catch the limber fox. Youko yipped with triumph as Naraku over-shot and tumbled over the couch. Unfortunately for him, but fortunately for Youko, he over-shot into a table. The force was so great that the lamp delicately balanced came tumbeling onto his pretty little head, shattered into thousands of crystalized peices.

Kagome, with her caring and kind nature, slowly walked over, feigning drama and concern. "Oh, my, are you alright Mr. Densetsu?" Kagome helped him up, Youko hissing and spitting from the top of the television. "Let me help you up."

Kagome, taking great care to be as rough as she could without revealing she was doing it on purpose, helped Naraku to the door. She opened it and he hobbled out.

"I'm really sorry about Yukii. I just got him, and he doesn't seem like the kind that would _do_ something like that."

Naraku glared at the fox that stood behind Kagome, still snareling with its fur on end. "You should watch out, Kagome." Naraku's voice was full of venom. "Animals as bad as him cannot be changed." Naraku gave Youko a look that, if it had the power, would've turned the silver being into a scarf.

Kagome nodded slowly. "I'll keep that in mind. Goodbye." Without further ado, she shut the door on his face.

Kagome waited until she heard his car backup from the driveway and roll down the street before turning to Yukii. A smile graced her face and she leaned down to scratch her companion behind the ears. "Good boy. You deserve a reward."

_I do believe I've already gotten it,_ Youko thought to himself as he examined the inside of Kagome's shirt. _You've just proven to me that my theory was correct. You _don't_ sleep with a bra on._

Kagome giggled and stood. Youko whined as a child would had his favorite toy been confiscated. "Let's get you some food."

* * *

Kagome looked up. She was just about to take Youko out for a walk, and this was the third interruption in ten minutes. She sighed as the phone persisted in its ringing. "Alright! I'm coming, I'm coming." Kagome stalked over to the phone. "I never knew that an electronic could be so pushy." Youko, laying on the threshold between the kitchen and the entryway, looked up and then returned to watching the dust float about, his tail twitching with boredom. 

Kagome picked up the phone. "What do you want?"

"Is this any way to greet your boss?" asked a creamy tenor voiced male.

Kagome nearly dropped the phone. "D-dr. Gensou! I'm so sorry. I'm not really feeling well, and I thought you knew I wasn't coming in today."

"I heard nothing of the sort." Kagome's eye twitched. Apparently Naraku hadn't delivered the message. "Why aren't you coming in?"

Kagome bit her lip. "I was in an accident. I'm still feeling a bit nauseous from the crash, and I don't really think I would be able to concentrate."

Papers rustled on the other end. "Alright. You can have today off, but tomorrow you come in. Is that clear?"

Kagome nodded and then stated that she would. They both said their goodbye's, and Kagome hung up. She put the phone back on the charger and turned to Youko. "Now let's head out on that walk before we get another interruption, huh?"

* * *

Toguro slammed down the phone. He was in a horrible mood. The only times he could see the woman of his dreams, and it was being taken from him. He growled with fury, standing up quickly. His chair fell back from the sudden motion and Toguro angrily stooped to pick it up and slam it down into place. First his best employee didn't turn up, and now his woman didn't, either. 

His pager went off on his phone. He glared at it before crashing a hand down on it. "What?" he snapped.

His secretaries voice stammered over the speaker. "S-sorry to disturb you, s-sir. Th-they need you i-in lab s-s-seven."

Toguro smirked coldly at the fear in her voice. He relished in things like that. Hence the reason he had become a physical therapist. The pain from the encounter and aftermath, the fear they may never be repaired, the sorrow from losing abilities. It all pumped through his veins whenever he worked with someone, addicting him as badly as any drug. The only thing to compare was the feeling he got when around Kagome.

Lovely Kagome. When she was around, the pain drug washed out of his system to be replaced by an ache. It was like an itch he couldn't reach, only worse. This one had burrowed into his skin like a tick. He couldn't stop it, he could hardly see it. He only knew the source, Kagome.

Ever since the day she had come in. She drove him insane with desire. How could one woman do such a thing? It was inconceivable that such a powerful demon would fall to the innocent charms of a mere mortal.

But fallen he had, and now he had a mission. A mission to make Kagome his. It was only a matter of time, and he had all the time in the world.

With that thought, he strode from his room.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	6. Ch5: Round and Round We Go

A/N: Right, I had writer's block on this chapter. There's the reason for the lateness. The next reason for updates for the next two weekends is that I'm going on vacation. I don't intend to think on this story too much, lest I over think and get an even worse writers block.

So what now? Well, I would like some ideas from people. I'm having trouble moving this part along, so I would like to know what the people think. Any ideas will be greatly appreciated and all will be given much thought and consideration.

Disclaimer: I own Aki and Himi, and the plot, and that's about it.

* * *

"Yukii! Get back here!" Kagome panted as she chased after a small silver blur. _Just my luck,_ she thought. _The first time I take him out, and I lose him!_

As Kagome berated herself mentally about unresponsible people, Youko was arguing with his other half.

**_Will you _please _stop running! You're just making trouble._**

Youko rolled his eyes. _You seem to be forgetting trouble is my middle name._ Youko prodded Suuichimentally. _Besides, I'm having fun._

Suuichi prodded him back. **_You're just going to get both of us punished._**

_No poking, Kit._

Suuichi glared at Youko. Without further ado, he tackled the unsuspecting fox, causing the silver being to stumble. When the fox stood again, it's eyes were still gold, but tinged with green. Suuichi, in control of the body, was sprawled over the pavement. He shakily got up, staring at one dainty silver paw. **_What the--_**

_Idiot kit! _Youko rammed into Suuichi mentally, but nothing happened. They continued to argue, but were soon cut off.

"Oh no you don't!" The next thing Suuichi and Youko knew, they were facing a very flushed and angry Kagome's face. She was still breathing hard, and her eyes narrowed. "What were you thinking, yanking the leash from my hands? You could've been caught, or run over...again." Kagome pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. She shifted her grip on Yukii so that she was able to hold his hind legs, too. She held him to her chest and began to walk back the way they had come.

_You're forgiven for now, _Youko told Suuichi as he looked at Kagome's chest. Suuichi scoffed.

"Stop that, you," Kagome scolded half-heartidly. "You gave me grey hair from your adventure. She sped up slightly, much to the confusion of Yukii. "Don't give me that look. I'm hungry. Again." Youko shrugged.

* * *

Kagome awoke with a start and looked at her alarm clock. It read five fifty-three, and Kagome made a strangled noise in her throat. Youko looked at her through one bleary and sleep-filled eye, and would've raised an eyebrow if he had one. Earlier in the morning, Youko was able to dominate Suuichi and his fox form, being a fox by nature. Suuichi was still out of it, and Youko snorted as Kagome fell over in her scramble to get into the shower. 

"Laugh all you want. You're the one who gets to be left with my little bro--shit!" Kagome threw a pile of wrinkled clothing onto her dresser, effectively knocking down a few odds and ends. "I totally forgot about that!" Kagome scrambeled to the phone and hit the speed dial. She waited as the phone rang, and a soon a groggy male voice greeted her. "Souta! I really need a favor from you. You don't have classes today, right?" Kagome took a deep breath.

"Wha-sis? Do you know what time it is?" Shuffeling was heard on the other end as Souta sat up. "You're right that I don't have classes today, but why the hell did you call me this early for that?"

Kagome let out all the air she had been comandeering. "Great. I need you to babysit for my new friend. Today. As in, about half an hour. Pretty please?"

Souta groaned. "Who is this friend?"

Kagome listened as she heard her baby brother getting up and moving about his room. "I adopted a fox yesterday when I hit him with my Nova." Kagome waited for the inevitable reaction.

However, she need not have worried. Souta droned out that he would be there shortly and then hung up, leaving a very surprised Kagome hanging.

"Well, that went well." She looked at Yukii, who looked like an angel while he was sleeping. "Not that _you _care." Kagome shook her head at the unconcious fox and gathered up her work clothing. Today she was in a darker mood, so instead of the usual bright and cheery shirts and a skirt or pair of shorts, she chose a dark blue pair of jeans and a black satin top. Pulling out some undergarments, Kagome entered the bathroom.

Kagome set her stuff down on the toilet seat and made sure she had a towel on the rack. Then, stripping and making sure to remember her bandages and wrist guard from the accident, she turned on the water and hopped into the steaming shower. She squeaked as the pleasently warm water pelted her cool body and sent goosebumps up her arm. She sighed with pleasure and broke out her favorite, raspberry-lavendar shampoo.

As she began to lather the scented liquid into her lushious black hair, Kagome's thoughts turned to the past two days. How had she known this would happen? If someone had told her three days ago that she would come out of a crash in fairly decent shape with a fox as a pet, she would've brought them to the nearest asylum and made sure you got a nice, padded white room. And made sure the nice men in pretty white coats watched over you for a decade or two.

Kagome rinsed off her hair throroughly and started on the conditioner. Her thoughts turned to her new friend.

He was gorgeous, she had to give him that. But also a lot of trouble. How did an animal get away from their owner that fast? Unless they were a cheetah or something, and she highly doubted that Yukii was anything but a purebred. His silver coat had no blemishes at all, it was amazing that he was even that color! Kagome couldn't believe it. And he looked so cute laying there asleep! Her heart could just stop.

Kagome shook her head, tangeling it slightly. She reached for the soap next.

And what about Mr. Densetsu? Yukii had acted like Kagome wanted to. She shivered despite the warmth of the water, and added more hot water to the cascading waterfall. He really scared her. He seemed like a rapist, or a stalker at least. She often felt like someone was following her, late at night. It unnerved her to hear footsteps, look behind her, and see nothing. She didn't like working with him, and she thanked any and all gods that she didn't work on the same level. She blessed Himitsu, for without her, work would be actual _work_ and not something Kagome loved.

She stood there as she thought of her friend.

Himitsu was tall for a woman, with bright blonde, almost white hair. Her emerald eyes were always filled with laughter and mirth, even if you were to walk up to her and break her leg. Her tan skin was rarely covered, even in winter. She always wore shorts and tee-shirts at most, and when Kagome had gone out to clubs with her, she had worn little more then a skirt and bra. Despite the look that got Himi called stripper and hooker, Himitsu was very honorable. She never betrayed a guy, and she never left them hanging. She was as great a girlfriend to people she dated as she was a friend. Kagome smiled.

However, Himitsu was sure to freak out when she heard about what happened over the past two days.

Kagome shook her head vigerously before she got caught thinking the same thoughts she had. She cut off the streams of water from the showerhead and stepped out of the shower. She pulled her cream colored towel off the rack and wrapped it around her dripping wet body.

Kagome gazed into the fog covered mirror. She looked at her chocolate eyes, her candy lips, and sighed. Rin was still trying to get her a boyfriend. Who could like someone like her -with the exception of Mr. Densetsu, of course-, really? She was plain, she was ugly, and she didn't deserve anyone. She was under-wieght, too short, scraggly at best. She never tried to show off, so she was never noticed. She wasn't like Rin, who was a major model and got strung up with a cute actor. She wasn't Sango, the head doctor in a huge hostpital who married her childhood crush. She wasn't even Kikyo, an interior designer with a landscaping fiancee. Hell, she wasn't even a stay at home wife with a major accountant as a lover. She was--

Undressed, with someone banging on the door.

Kagome jumped and clutched at the towel. "Souta?" she called hesitantly.

"Who else at this hour?" She could hear the annoyence in her baby brothers voice. "Are you done in there?"

"Almost, give me a minute." Kagome quickly dressed and toweled her hair hastily. She would normally use a hair dryer, but she was late as it was. She neatly folded the towel and placed it back on the rack. After quickly yanking a brush through her dishelved head of hair, Kagome opened the door.

A young man with hair as black as Himitsu's was blonde played with Yukii and a belt he had found somewhere. Kagome smiled at the two's antics; her brother had always loved animals. They seemed to be attracted to his supposed innocence, for he was anything but. In fact, Kagome was much more celibate than her brother.

"I see you two have met." Kagome met muddy brown eyes filled with mischeif as her brother looked towards her. "His name is Yukii."

"I didn't know this was who you wanted me to babysit." Her brother turned back to the fox. "If you would've told me sooner, I could've brought some of Buyo's toys. He never uses 'em, and I'm sure this little guy could put them to good use."

"After yanking them from your hand, or after they're torn apart?" Kagome chuckled and grabbed her purse. "I'll be back at lunch with food for both of you, and again at supper." She walked over to Yukii and leaned over to say goodbye. "You be good, you hear?" Yukii's vision was filled with severe amounts of cleavage before Kagome stood. "I'll see you later."

With that said, Kagome scurried out of the room and was on her way to work.

* * *

Himitsu looked up from her makeup as the door to the ladies room opened quickly and slammed shut. Himitsu smiled as she saw it was her friend and co-worker, Kagome. "Naraku again?" she inquired to the panting woman. 

Kagome nodded, still trying to catch her breath. "He, scares the hell, out of me!" she said in between pants. She took a deep breath and slid to the floor. "Sanctuary."

Himitsu laughed and fixed her lipstick. "You know it! Sometimes I wonder where you get the energy to go out every day, what with him lurking behind every corner." Himitsu let out a bark of laughter. She then had to duck as a shoe flew her way. "Temper, temper!"

"Laugh it up all you want," Kagome growled. She toddled over to her shoe, dodging wet spots. "If you want all of the unwanted attention, be my guest!"

Himitsu shook her head and but away all of her cosmetics. "So," she began, hopping up onto the sink counter, "what's new? Why weren't you here yesterday?"

Kagome winced as she jarred her knee. She had been forgetting about it a lot lately. She wondered why it didn't hurt nearly as bad as it was supposed to. "I was in a crash and adopted the animal I hit." She heard a squeal as Himitsu clasped herhands together. Typical Himitsu.

"Really? Can I see him? Her? It? Are you all right?" Himitsu began to bounce up and down like a young toddler about to get a real treat.

"Sure you can see him, him and I'm fine." Kagome cracked a smile. "At least you aren't freaking as bad as I thought you would."

Himitsu looked offended. "You, of all people, should know that I _never_ freak out." Himitsu did a mock pout. "I feel so unloved."

Kagome laughed and went to hug her friend. "I know, I know. Just like the time you found out that Jou on level C liked you?" It was Kagome's turn to duck, this time a hand coming from a blushing Himitsu. "You know you still like him."

Himitsu sniffed daintily. "You mock me."

"_You_ mock_ me_."

Himitsu stuck her tongue out at Kagome, who copied her. "I think he's gone now. Besides, Aki is back and we have an appointment with her." She hopped down, straightening her skirt. "Ready for her?"

Kagome nodded. She missed the shy girl. Aki never said much, for she had lost something near and dear to her. Her entire life Aki had been doodeling and sketching. She had such potential according to her teachers, and had just gotten accepted to the highest of art schools specializing in portraits and still-lifes when it had happened.

In an act of 'terrorism', some students had taken over the school. Aki, who was working on a portrait for her portfolio, was in the school's artroom. She had been huddeling under a desk when the officers told the school that they had caught all of the attackers. As soon as they had given the all clear, Aki had made a move to stand up and was blown away by a bomb that had been planted there earlier. She was immediately paralyzed from the arms down. All of the work she had been working on was destroyed in either the initial blast or the terrible fire that occured after. Aki was burned badly, third degree burns covered her entire body.

That wasn't what got Kagome. She loved working with the yound adolescent. What made Kagome's throat close up with sorrow and sadness was the emptiness in Aki's life. Aki, who had been accepted to such a wonderful school, who had a life ahead of her set to create beautiful things, could never draw again. Other doctors had told her that she might have been able to learn to draw with her mouth, but Aki hadn't even looked into their faces. Kagome knew, and she was sure Aki knew as well, that Aki would always compare her new artwork to the kind of stuff she had been doing before. It seemed inhumane to Kagome to keep the heartbroken teen alive, but nevertheless, that's what she was paid to do.

Kagome sobered immediately, as did Himitsu. "Yeah," Kagome croaked, her throat growing tight with sadness. "Let's go for a visit."

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	7. Ch6: Aki and A Long Day to Come

A/N: Well, it's been a little crazy this week. So, here's a somewhat late chapter. Hope you like it, I did a little bit of a rush job.

Also, I have decided that when I get 100 reviews, I will answer any questions that I have or will get. And to vixenia, I used your idea! Well, one of them at least. The other will come later. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or Yuyu Hakusho. I DO own Himitsu, though. And the delivery dude.

* * *

Kagome sat down in front of a young girl. Called Aki, the young woman certainly had the personality to match her name as far as most people knew. Her muddy brown hair was always tangeled and kept down. Aki's equally dirty brown eyes were void of anything- emotion or otherwise. Her hands gripped a pillow without actually holding it, the cold metal wheelchair locked in place so it didn't roll away. Her jaw was clenched so hard that Kagome winced. Her eyes flickered to Kagome before continueing their stare out the light-filled glass window. 

"How are you today, Aki?" Kagome asked politely, pulling out a manilla folder. "Good, I hope? No pain?"

Aki ignored her.

Kagome tried to read her face. Nothing permeated Aki's blank mask, and Kagome quickly gave up. She jotted down a few notes from what she could gather about Aki's physical appearence and stood again.

Clasping her hands together, she plastered a smile onto her face. "Well, let's work on a few of your excercizes, shall we?"

She walked over to the teen and gently took one of Aki's hands. Pulling up a chair and sitting again, Kagome began to gently move her fingers.

"Remember to tell me if you feel anything." Kagome heard a snort of disbelief, but other than that, Aki gave no signs of acknowledgement.

Kagome slowly worked through Aki's excersizes on her left hand, then moved to her right. She could feel Aki's lingering stare, the stare that always disappeared when she looked up. Kagome bent to her task, making small talk with her silent patient.

"Yesterday I adopted a fox. His name is Yuuki, and he's all silver." Kagome cautiously looked through her lashes and saw a flicker of emotion flash in Aki's eyes. Was it happiness? Kagome continued to talk about Yuuki.

"He's a real trouble-maker, I can already tell. Yesterday was his first time out with me on a walk. We went to the park near my townhouse, and he had a blast. I let him loose in the fenced off area's and he played hide-and-seek with some of the kids. Actually, I think they were playing while Yuuki tried to run away from the scary giant children." Kagome thought she heard a giggle, but she didn't look up. "Then, on our way home, he stole the leash from my hand and ran off. I had to chase him all the way to the grocers before I could catch him." Kagome definately heard laughter coming from Aki.

She stopped working with her hands and stood. Aki's face was once again a mask of indifference. "Maybe I could bring him in. I think he would like that." Kagome winked at Aki, who blinked dully.

Himitsu wandered over, and they traded folders. "See you next week, Aki." Kagome walked into the next room.

"Well, it looks like your the newest trouble-maker to join our pretty little family," Kagome commented to the room's only occupant.

He was a young boy with rouge hair held up in a small pony-tail and green eyes. Short for his age, he held himself like one who wanted desperately to be treated like an adult but had no idea of how to come about it. His right arm lay limp at his side, scars crossing it several times in various places. The sleeve to his black shirt was rolled up, and he sat cross legged on a mat.

Kagome walked over and squatted in front of him. "My name is Kagome, and I'll be working with you. What's your name?"

The boy narrowed his eyes. "You already know it."

Kagome sighed and sat down, copying his seating style. "I'd prefer to hear it from you, please?" she asked hopefully.

The boy looked at her with suspicion before curtly saying "Shippo."

Kagome smiled and held out her left hand. "It's nice to meet you, Shippo." His hand clasped hers in a short but polite hand shake. He quickly let go. "Can you tell me what happened to your arm?"

Shippo was about to retort the same way he had when Kagome asked for his name, but she held up a hand. "And don't tell me I already know. I want to hear it from your view."

Shippo looked as if he was going to argue with her before he began. "I was trying to get away from some bullies. They chased me into a construction zone and backed me against the frame of the building. A load of bricks fell and I tried to dodge, but I fell and a pile of them landed on my arm. The others got away fine, but I had to have surgery and pins put in." His good hand clenched into a fist and his voice was laced with hatred and shame.

He wiped his face quickly as if he didn't want anyone to see, and continued. "I got in trouble for going into a danger zone along with the others." His voice filled with victory. "They got it worse because they weren't hurt and I was so I got sympathy."

Kagome nodded. "Well, lets see it, shall we?"

Shippo cautiously held out his arm, which was pale and thin, lacking muscle and sunlight. He looked away as Kagome examined each finger and his wrist.

"So," Kagome started as she began to flex each digit individually, "What kind of stuff do you like?"

Shippo looked taken aback. "Well, I like cars. And dogs."

Kagome nodded. "I like dogs, too, although I have a fox instead." Shippo perked up at this. Kagome decided to relay the story for what seemed like the fiftieth time that day.

* * *

Youko looked out the window with longing. He had been trapped in this small confined place all day, with the exception of the short amount of time he was let out to relieve himself, and he was bored. He glanced back Souta, who lay sprawled on the couch watching Dr. Phil with disgust, and yipped. Souta looked up and smiled. 

"I know that you want to go outside, but I have explicit instructions to not give in." He waggled a finger at the youko, and his tone took on an admonishing motherly type. "You shouldn't have run off like that. It's your own fault you can't go outside right now." He sat up. "Besides, I want pizza for lunch. Delivery," he added with mock malice.

Youko sighed with weariness. When would these humans learn who was in charge?

**_As soon as you stop acting like a pompous ass._** Suuichi's fowl mood was reflected in his sullen voice.

Youko started. _Since when did you get to be in such a bad mood?_

_**Since I was stuck in fox form and not even allowed to finish my book.**_

Youko rolled his eyes. _Now you know how I feel._

_ **However, **_**I'm_ normally the dominant personality. _**Suuichi poked at Youko's conciousness. **_Can I have a turn for a while?_**

Youko glared at the wall. _I said no poking, kit!_ Youko gave Suuichi a giant slap on the mental wrist, which left Suuichi mentally reeling for a bit.

**_Don't call me kit!_**

_Don't poke me!_

They continued to argue, oblivious to the door bell that delivered the pizza. Souta just shrugged at the fox twitching and glaring at the wall while he paid the deliverer. After another moment, Souta nudged the fox and sent him tumbeling off-balance. "Yo, time to eat, Yuuki."

* * *

Kagome glanced at the clock on the wall. She had been sitting with Shippo for the past two and a half hours, just talking and working his hand muscles. She smiled as he continued to rattle on about a character from a show titled D.N.Angel. He was currently talking about the theme song. He seemed really passionate about music, and Kagome hated to cut his rantings short. 

When he paused to take a breath, Kagome stopped. "Sorry, but our times up." At his crestfallen face, Kagome hurried to reassure him. "Don't worry, we have another appointment next week!"

"Yay!" Shippo shouted gleefully. "Does that mean I get to come back and see you?"

Kagome nodded. She was then surprised when he gave her a giant hug and then sprinted off. "Well," Kagome said aloud, clearing her throat slightly. "That was odd."

Shippo had taken a while to completely warm up to Kagome. She had started by talking about the most random things after Yuuki. Things like her life at her home, what she did at christmas, and even her brother. When she mentioned Souta, Shippo had started to put in his two cents. She had let him have the floor then, learning of his passion for rock music and his hobby of walking up and annoying complete strangers. She also discovered that, like all of the kids nowadays, he had a strange obsession with candy.

"Oh, Kagome!" A hand waved in front of her eyes and Kagome jumped at Himitsu's voice.

"Gah!" Himitsu giggled and held out a phone to Kagome, who had fallen over backwards.

"You said you wanted to call Souta before we picked up lunch, right?" Himitsu smiled and shoved the console into her hands. "Hurry up, I'm hungry!"

Kagome nodded and turned on the phone. After taking a moment to remember her number, she dialed and waited as the other end began to connect.

It rang.

And rang.

And kept on ringing.

Finally, after the fifth or so ring, Souta picked up. "Hello?"

Kagome heard a shredding noise in the background. A crash was heard and Kagome's eyes widened. "What's going on?"

"Oh, hey sis." Souta sounded very winded and occupied. "Sorry about the drapes, the couch and the vase." Another crash was heard. "And that picture frame. I'll pay you back."

Kagome screamed. "Souta! What the hell did you do?" Another bang was heard, like something very large falling. Yuuki yipped in the background.

"Well, ya see, sis," Souta stopped and he could be heard yelling to Yuuki to get down from the top of the fridge. A bark was heard, followed by scuffeling and the phone being picked up again. "Sorry, Yuuki has been a little devil. I ordered pizza because I was hungry, and Yuuki was just sitting there when the doorbell rang. I nudged him a little and he fell over. I started to laugh and went to pay the pizza deliverer. Yuuki jumped him and sent him reeling to the ground, writhering like a freshly caught fish. It was all I could do to get him off the guy! After that, I went inside and set the pizza on the counter to get a soda. He knocked the pizza onto the floor and used it as his own crap-station! Twenty freaking dollars out the window! Then I went to get him so I could punish him, and he began to terrorize the house! Hold still, dammit!"

The phone itself fell onto the ground, and Souta let out a cry of rage. The phone was picked up again and suppressed rage could be heard in Souta's trembeling voice. "The bastard just bit me! I'll call you later, Kag. Get back here, you little fu-" The rest of the sentence was cut off.

Kagome, on her end, dropped the phone in shock. Himitsu waved a hand in front of her.

"Kagome? You still there? What happened?"

Kagome shook her head and howled "Yuuki! Wait till I get my hands on you!"

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please Review! 


	8. Ch7: The Promised Long Day to Come

A/N: This chapter is a lot more solomn then the rest. I was in a bad mood when I started to write it, and I carried on with it. The next chapter is probably going to start out with the same tone, and then hopefully I can break out of the cycle and get some more humor in there.

Also, to those who are upset that I didn't update with two chapters last time, I have news for you. I have a life! Surprising, no? That means that I only have an hour of time to go on the computer for fun, because the rest of the time I'm catching up on school work and preparing for finals. As soon as summer hits I'll start working on this story more, but until then, you're going to have to be patient. If you had noticed, I had a one-shot written last weekend. I try to get out one chapter a week. If I don't get that done, _then_ you guys can yell at me. 'Kay?

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha, Yuyu Hakusho or any of the songs I used in earlier chapters. I just realized I forgot to disclaim those...

* * *

Youko grumbled from his place in a closet. _Damned human,_ he thought with suppressed rage and injured pride. 

**_You brought this upon yourself._** Suuichi's mind-voice was filled with scorn and a hint of smug satisfaction. **_I _** **told_ you not to ruin that pizza._**

_Shut up, ya damned kit!_ Youko roared. He sent a wave of spirit energy at his other half; not enough to injure, but enough to leave Suuichi reeling. If a fox could smirk, said smirk would be plastered on Youko's face.

It was all that _boy's_ fault. He had been arguing with Suuichi about poking him, and the boy hit them and made them fall on their face! Youko growled as loudly as he could. A bang was heard on the door, followed by a gruff voice.

"You are not coming out until my sister gets home, you damned demon!"

Youko's glare peirced the door. After the boy had knocked them over, Youko had gotten mad. Not nearly as much as he was now, but pretty well enraged. He had gone to attack him, miscalculated when Suuichi tackeled him, and hit the delivery boy instead. Suuichi and him had grappled for dominance, and in the process had been unintentionally attacking the deliverer. The boy had gotten angry and pulled them off of the other boy, and Youko had pushed Suuichi back into recession.

After being set down, Youko had spotted the pizza. He had pulled it down, and since he hadn't been outside _at all_ that day, had proceeded to converge it into an indoor litter box. Youko then had to dodge a foot, and that's when he got **really** angry. He had to run around and accidentaly dodged onto the couch, his claws digging into the fabric. He had vaulted off said couch when the boy had made a dive for him. The drapes shredded easily under his claws.

He had to jump off lest he pull the rod down onto his poor head, and when he tried, he jumped right into a vase. The flowers and water had splattered onto his delicate fur. Youko had yelped at the cool water's presence on his skin and hit a lamp. The boy was too busy trying to catch him to notice, and the lamp hit a picture. Said picture crashed to the ground.

Youko, surprised at his handy work, didn't notice when the boy scooped him up into the air. Youko began to struggled, uncomfortable. When the boy wouldn't let him down, Youko mimicked a vampire and sunk his fangs into Souta's young, awaiting flesh.

He was then dropped uncerimoniously onto the floor. Scrambeling away, Youko ran from Souta, who hurried to get off the phone. Youko prepared to dive under the couch, casting aside his dignity, and was springing into action when Souta grabbed his tail and pulled. Hard.

After a small scumble in which both parties were bruised and battered, Youko ended up with his legs and mouth bound. He was then closeted into a closet and that was where his current situation sprang from.

After some time of reflection, Youko began to cool down and think about the situation. For one thing, it wasn't the boy's fault. He had been fighting with Suuichi and not paying attention; the boy had just reacted to something he thought funny. It also wasn't Suuichi's fault; Suuichi had been trying to keep him out of trouble.

Youko began to feel horrible. He had, once again, let his emotions run his actions. When he realized that, he began to bang his head on the wall. He jumped when Souta slammed his fist on the door.

"Settle down!"

Youko huddled in a corner and tentatively reached for Suuichi. He was vigorously repelled by a mental barrier. He tried again, and again. On the fourth time, he was repelled so hard that he actually had to fight to stay concious.

Youko's ears drooped and he whined. _What did I do..._

* * *

Kagome took a deep breath and tried to put a cap on her anger. Here she was again, standing in front of her creme door. Kagome glared at the color. Creme annoyed her. She needed a new color. How about blood red for the blood that would flow as soon as she got her hands on Yuuki? 

She slowly turned the key and the handle simultaniously. The lock clicked and the door popped open. Kagome braced herself and strode into her house.

Kagome's eyes widened in shock and her mind couldn't comprehend the fact that such a small animal was able to commit such terrorism. In the walkway alone, the mahogany table that she had bought over three years ago had deep scratches over the surface. The drawer was barely hanging off the hinge. Her flower vase was in peices on the floor, which in turn was slippery and wet when she walked slowly across the area. She dodged the fragments of her mother's vase and tried to hold back tears.

The living room was next. A strangled cry made Souta look up from where he was cleaning. Her fifty dollar curtains were hanging off the rod, shredded so badly that she could see the old oak in the back of her neighbor's yard. Her couch had springs popping out through the cushions. Stuffing was floating around in the air like snow. Any pictures that had graced the wall before lay in a neat pile by the screen door. Her bookshelf of carefully alphabetized books, music, and movies was tipped over onto the counter in the kitchen. A pile of broken cases and torn bindings lay strewn over the kitchen's linoleum flooring and the no-longer-plush carpeting of the living room.

The kitchen drew Kagome's eyes. She fell onto her knees when she assessed the damage there. The cupboards had been broken, battered, shattered, scratched, scuffed and thrown onto the ground. Food lay everywhere, the refridgerator door had disappeared and the shade on the ceiling light had accumilated many cracks in it. Her bar stools were disembowled and chewed up very efficiently.

Souta walked over and knelt beside his distraught sister. "Sorry, Kagome." He laid a heavily bandaged hand onto her shoulder and she turned to him. He could see tears cascading out of her furious eyes. "I tried to stop him, but he began attacking me whenever I tried to stop him." He held up his other hand. It wasn't as heavily padded as the other, but it trailed up his arm to disappear under his shirt.

She took a good look at his clothing. His shirt was torn to rags and she could see red blood seeping through the wrappings on his chest. His pants were hardly better, and she could see more white under the torn places. He had bandages all over his sweet face, and his eyes held as just as much anger as hers did. Kagome wasn't sure who wanted Yuuki's blood more; herself, her brother, or the delivery guy that he told her about earlier on the phone.

Souta spoke again. "Aside from all this, he also got into the bathroom. I caught him before he was able to get your room messed up, and I was able to straighten out most of the bathroom. He's in the closet," he gestured with his mummified fingers.

Kagome nodded and dragged a hand across her face. She took a moment to compose herself, then strode to the chamber holding Yuuki. She ripped open the door, nearly taking _it_ off its hinges.

Yuuki blinked at the sudden wave of light, huddeled in a corner and tied within an inch of his life. Kagome narrowed her eyes and stomped into the confining space. She grabbed Yuuki by the scruff and ignored his squeal of pain. She carried him away from her body and dropped him onto the remains of her couch. He bounced once from impact and then settled down.

His ears lay flat against his head and he shivered. Kagome's stare bore into him. After a moment, she whipped around and grabbed her phone from the table behind her. She disappeared for a moment, her brother raising an eyebrow and Yuuki closing his eyes. She returned moments later with a peice of paper in her hand.

"What's that?" Souta asked curiously.

"The number of the vet." Kagome ignored Yuuki as he began to wriggle around, trying to free himself from his bonds. "She told me to call if he gave me trouble." Kagome began dialing.

The phone rang momentarily, then Dr. Yoshizawa's voice drifted over the connection. "Hello?"

"Dr. Yoshizawa, this is Kagome." Kagome waited as the kind doctor greeted her. "You told me to call if Yuuki gave me any trouble, right?"

"Yes, I did. Is there a problem?" Kagome thought her voice sounded nervous, but she brushed it off as paranoia.

"I wouldn't be calling if there wasn't." Kagome quickly summerized the day's events, Souta piping in to add details.

"Well. I'll, uh, send someone over." Dr. Yoshizawa cleared her throat. "He's my...assistant. He'll be there soon."

Kagome thanked her and hung up the phone. Setting it back on the table, she turned back to Yuuki.

"You just pushed your limits." Cold rage shook her voice. "What were you thinking? Here I am, taking you in and saving you from being put to sleep. And this is how you thank me!" Souta and Yuuki cringed together. "First you run away from me, and then you attack a poor delivery boy! But that wasn't enough for you, was it? NO! _You_ had to go and attack my brother!" Souta winced at the volume, but was unsympathetic. "Then, O Majesty," Kagome bowed mockingly, "you decide that I need a new makeover! Why?" Yuuki didn't make a sound, which seemed to upset Kagome further. "Dammit, WHY? What did any of us do to deserve this? Huh? Damn you, ANSWER ME!" Kagome was now face to face with her pet, hands braced on either side of the shivering fox.

Souta began to feel bad for the fox. He knew how scary Kagome could be in a temper. She was worse than their mother, for crying out loud! "Hey, sis, I think he's had eno-"

Kagome wheeled around to glare at Souta. He gulped. "Don't even _think_ about coming to his defense! Because of him, I'm going to have to work overtime for the next year to pay for all the stuff he destroyed!"

The doorbell interrupted her. Yuuki and Souta both jumped, and Kagome turned her glare to the offending door. Hands clenched into fists, she stormed over and wrenched it open. It slammed against the wall and created another dent.

The person standing outside raised one black eyebrow at the furious beauty. His black hair was gelled back and gleamed in the setting sunlight. He wore jeans and a white t-shirt, which would've confused Kagome if she wasn't so angry. He was at least four inches taller then her, and she had to look up at him in order to glare at him for interrupting her tyrade. His eyes, the color of dyed wood, held no readable emotion in them. When he spoke, his creamy tenor voice laced around anyone who listened.

"I'm here representing Dr. Yoshizawa. Are you Kagome?" he inquired.

"Yes." Kagome's curt answer had the stranger raising his other eyebrow.

He pulled a hand from his pocket and offered it to her. "My name is Urameshi Yuusuke, and I'm here to deal with Yuuki."

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please Review! 


	9. Ch8: Reparations

A/N: Thanks again to Kitsune Kagome for the suggestions. Really helped me this chapter, I owe you one.

Only two announcements. One is after fifteen more reviews, I will start answering reviewers. The other is that summer is coming soon, and that means school crunch time. I'll try to get a chapter out this weekend, but I can't say if I will or not. After school gets out, I hope to get two chapters in a week.

Disclaimer: I do not own Yuyu Hakusho, Inuyasha or even most of the ideas for this chapters contents.

* * *

Kagome glared at the offered hand with all her might. She really wasn't in the mood for his cool and calm attitude! No, whenever she was mad, _everybody_ had to be in a foul mood! 

The man, Urameshi, pulled his hand back and cleared his throat. "Can I please see Yuuki?"

Kagome huffed and crossed her arms. "Only if you take him back."

Behind them, Youko cringed. Souta shook his head. His sister was always one to jump to conclusions. He gave Yukii a sympathetic look and laid back onto the floor.

Yuusuke blanched. "I'm sorry. Did you mean 'take him back' as in perminately or temporarily?"

Kagome pointed a trembeling finger at him. "Don't play with me. You know what I mean!"

Yuusuke supressed the urge to roll his eyes. "Please understand, he will be put to sleep if he is taken back." Kagome didn't move. "I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be able to live with myself. After all, foxes are mischeivous by nature. I would feel horrible knowing that I practically murdered an innocent animal who was just acting on its instincts." A flash of emotion crossed Kagome's eyes, and Yuusuke continued. "It's no different then one of us human beings getting mad at another person for insulting us." Now he had her.

Shame and guilt began to well up in Kagome. She lowered her finger. "Well, if you put it that way..."

Yuusuke wasn't _quite_ finished. "If we were to kill anything and everything that acted on it's own instincts, the world would be empty. Even as advanced as we are, we still have the 'fight or flight' instinct among others."

Kagome hung her head. "Alright, alright. I'll give him another chance." Her eyes lit up. "That is, **if** you and your company help me to restore the things that were destroyed."

Yuusuke agreed after a moment. "Fine. Now may I have some time alone with him to figure out why he became so agitated?"

Kagome moved to the side and waved Yuusuke in, shutting the door behind him. Yuusuke walked into the disemboweled room and nearly tripped over Souta.

"Hey, watch it!" Souta sat up. "People are trying to sleep here!"

Yuusuke narrowed his eyes. "It's not my fault I can't see everything around me! Besides, it's your own fault."

"How do you figure?" was the retort.

"If you weren't laying on the floor, you wouldn't've been stepped on."

"You should've watched where you were going!"

"I can't see everything, I'm not psychic."

"Boys!" Kagome interrupted, stepping in between her brother and her guest. "Souta, you shouldn't argue with guests. Mr. Urameshi, Yukii is on the couch behind you."

Yuusuke turned and scooped up Youko. "Do you mind if I take him outside for a little while?"

Kagome shook her head. Souta glared at both of them.

Yuusuke made his way through the room, opened the screen door, and walked out.

* * *

Youko grunted as he was dumped unceremoniously onto the ground. Yuusuke began to untie him, and soon Youko was able to stretch and work the kinks out of his body. 

"I don't know what you did, but you had better tell me now." Yuusuke's voice held a cold threat in it, and at the moment, Youko was all too aware of his vulnerability in his fox form. He quickly laid out what happened.

Yuusuke was silent for a moment. "What were you thinking, dumbass!" Youko cringed again. "Do you know what Koenma is going to say when he finds out about this?"

Youko's eyes widened. _You're not going to _tell_ him, are you?_

Yuusuke snorted. "Of course I am." He crossed his arms. "Just because you lie doesn't mean I do."

_But he'll-_

"I know. But frankly, I think you deserve every bit of your future punishment." Yuusuke sat in front of the silver fox and crossed his legs. "You didn't have to act like that. That was worse then something Hiei would do, way back when."

Youko closed his eyes and sighed. _I know, I know. I already feel guilty about it._

"_Much_ worse."

_You don't have to go and rub it in, you know._ Youko cracked an eye. _I've already been punished by three people, and will be punished in the near future. I don't need it from you._

"What do you mean, three?" Yuusuke gripped his chin in thought. "I can understand the boy and the woman-"

_Souta and Kagome,_ Youko supplied.

"-but who's the third? Unless...you didn't." Youko's ears flattening and his tail ceasing all movement confirmed Yuusuke's guess. "Shit, you_ did_."

_Of course, I _did._ What, you think that I just sat there and plotted my revenge while my other half berated me for something that I had already done? It was all in the past, dammit!_

Yuusuke put a hand to his face. "Great. Just great. Now I have to find Hiei! No doubt Suuichi's put up a barrier." Youko nodded in confirmation. Yuusuke glared and pulled out a small device that resembeled a compact.

He flipped open the blue object and pressed a single, golden button. Botan's face appeared in the screen. "What's up, Yuusuke?" she asked cheerfully.

"Cut the crap, Botan," Yuusuke snapped. "I need Hiei here as soon as possible."

Botan's smile faltered slightly. "That bad?"

"Worse."

"Alright. I'll send him over." Botan waved and cut the connection.

Yuusuke attempted to sit patiently, but was failing horribly. Every time he got close to being comfortable, a stone, twig or insect would decide to stick him and cause him pain. It tried his temper to the barest thread, and Youko just sat there, staring at the ground.

Fortunately, just before Yuusuke snapped with annoyance, Hiei chose to make an appearence.

Hiei had left his cape at whatever dwelling he called home, revealing what lay underneath. His crisp, black, sleeveless shirt sat tucked into his black breeches, which were, in turn, held in place with four white belts. His black boots made no sound as he strode over the yard. His way of entry was seen only by the fact that the dirt in front of the fence held two prints on it, as if someone of average weight had leapt up as high as they could and decided that they needed to make a bigger impact.

Hiei stopped just in front of Yuusuke. His eyes flickered from the fox to the detective, and he blinked slowly. "What happened," he demanded.

Yuusuke narrowed his eyes and stood up with as much grace as a newborn colt. "I'm not in the mood for any of your shit today. Kurama and Kurama had a fight."

Hiei lifted an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah. The tempermental side snapped and the brainy side put up a barrier." Yuusuke walked over and lifted Youko by the scruff. The fox didn't even twitch. "Think you can do a patching job with them?" Yuusuke tossed the animal over to Hiei, who caught him easily.

"Of course." Hiei lifted Youko to face him and glared.

* * *

Suuichi felt someone testing his walls again. When would they get he get the message that he wanted to be left alone? It annoyed him to no end. After all, Suuichi was just trying to help his counterpart. Hell, _he_ was the one who had had his body taken by a vain dog in the first place! The least Youko could do for him after all of Suuichi's sacrifices was _listen_ to him once and a while. 

But it seemed that was too much for the fox spirit to handle. After he had snapped at Suuichi, who had bourne the brunt of the youko's fury for most of his life, Suuichi had gotten fed up. He was just trying to help.

So, Suuichi had flung up the most potent sheild he could concoct and used only his will to keep it up. Youko had tested it a few times before Suuichi had flung all the hurt and anger he felt at the spirit. That had shut him up for a while, but he had tested the walls again. And again.

This most recent time had Suuichi at the end of his patience. He gathered up any spirit energy he had accumilated over the past few days, balled it up, and let it fly.

Needless to say he got a big surprise when it was all absorbed and flung back at him twice as fast.

He sat there in a dazed conciousness as he tried to puzzle out where Youko had come up with _that_ particular trick.

:Oh, stop it. You know he's too damned weak to do anything like that.: The voice vibrated in Suuichi's non-existant skull.

**_Damn. I'm in trouble._** Suuichi ran a spiritual hand over his spirit face and groaned. **_Just leave me alone Hiei._**

:Yes, you're in trouble and no, I won't leave you alone. You need to be clued into a few things, topmost being what's in store for you.:

Suuichi cringed as Hiei continued. :For letting Youko get into trouble, Koenma is putting you on paperwork duty as soon as you change back. He didn't say how long. Second, for making _me_ travel down here to drag your sorry ass out of this second-rate sheilding job, you also get the pleasure of training with Genkai.:

Suuichi's 'eyes' widened. **_Where does _she_ come into play with all this? And when did Koenma find out about the situation!_**

:Koenma found out as of about five minutes before I left, and you're being sent to Genkai because you need to brush up on your skills. You've become way to lazy, fox.:

**_Hey! I couldn't help it that that woman lured me into a trap. I thought she was injured and weak!_**

Hiei swatted Suuichi with the help of his jagan.:_You_ should've known better. If anything, you should've taken another of us with you. Never assume that your opponent is weak. That's the _last_ thing you think about, if ever at all. _You're_ supposed to be the smart one. _You're_ supposed to be the one with the most common sense. As far as things go, you _were_. I guess something happened a way back that made you into a pompous egotistical bastard.: Hiei stared at his teammate.

Suuichi opened his mouth and closed it many times, his mind going completely blank. It didn't help that Hiei had a point. _**I guess I wasn't thinking,**_ he said finally.

:You weren't, and now both of you pay the price. Don't blame Youko for your own faults.: Hiei dropped out of Suuichi's mind and looked at Yuusuke. "Done." He tossed Youko back to Yuusuke. "Make sure that boy in there realizes that foxes need to be let out once and a while."

Yuusuke nodded as Hiei seemed to flickered out of existance. He turned back to Youko, who was hanging upside down. When he flipped the fox rightside up, his ears were quivering and his eyes were glossed over. Yuusuke stiffled a laugh.

_What's so funny? _Youko blinked, which caused Yuusuke to break into laughter.

_**I'm also curious as to what can make you snap so fast.**_

"Hey! You're back, Kurama. Kurama's." Yuusuke took a deep breath and smiled. "You fixed things?" Youko nodded and Suuichi sent an affirmative. "Alright, then let's get this over with. I'm hungry and I have a date tonight."

* * *

Yuusuke stepped onto the stair outside Kagome's home. "Look, just make sure he's allowed outside often. And tell that other guy in there that he has to treat foxes like royalty or face the consequences." He held up a scarred arm. "I had to learn the hard way, too." 

Kagome winced in sympathy at the sight of the mangled scars. "Right. Thanks so much."

Yuusuke nodded. "We'll send you some money to help pay for the damages in a few days." He turned and walked away.

His outer appearence was calm, but inside, his head was whirring. He couldn't wait to tell his other teammembers about the look on Youko's face.

As he pictured it again, he began to laugh. The only other time that he had seen Suuichi with that face was when the police academy had visited and had brought a sample of marijuana to show the classes what it looked like. Suuichi had been visiting on a school assignment. With such a sensitive nose, he had started acting a little tipsy from the fumes.

And Yuusuke had it all on tape. He had forgotten about that.

As people stared at him for laughing in the air, he wondered how he could use the tape as blackmail material.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

And comments? Questions? Suggestions? Please review! 


	10. Ch9: A Short Visit to Work

Disclaimer: I only own Himi and Chin-chan. All the rest belong to their respective creators.

A/N: So, I have been busy recovering from a horse ramming my knee into a metal pole and having a swing break under me and landing on my back on a tree root. My days have been spent laying flat on my back and staring at my pretty ceiling. Now that most of that's done and I'm recovering better, I'm going to TRY to get out something like two more chapters this week.

Reason is that I'm going to work at an event next week. But since schools out now, I have more free time to update. Somewhat.

Alright, so there are over a hundred reviews. I'll stay true to my promise and answer any and every question that was ever asked about my story.

LuzdeVida: I'm working on this story as much as I can. I hope you like it.

Fallon85: I know the chapters are short, but if I don't have a limit then I end up spending all my time on one chapter and not on others. Besides, it's easier to write this way! Also, I'll try to add more fox action and human contact.

Water Block: Thanks for reviewing. I hope that you have fun reading my story.

HelKatz: It would be a lot of fun to watch something like that happen. Actually, if any of this would happen, it would be fun to watch. I'm glad you liked it.

storywriter10791: I'm hurrying as fast as I can. I hope you like my story so far.

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85: grins back

atamagaokashii Ookami: I'm working on the romance, but it's a little more difficult to write when Youko's still in fox form. I think I've started to solve that problem, though. There will be romance soon enough, I just have to build it. Also, the pair is Youko/Kagome. Toguro is from Yuyu Hakusho. Sorry I didn't answer your earlier questions, but this is my attempt to make up for it. Youko might not marry Kagome in this story. Actually, he might not marry her at all if I don't write a sequel. They will eventually kiss, and Kagome might be just a regular girl. This is going to be a little perverted because of Miroku and Youko andthey'll learn eventually down the line.

IT: I would want to see that true. According to what I think, demons can't get drunk on alcohol. That was my way around that. v

KuraiMiko37: I'm glad you like it. I just hope you don't mind cliffhangers. I plan on writing quite a few in the future.

Blade of Fire: I'm on your favorites? blushes Well, I'll try to update as much as I can, but I get stuck pretty easily. Any help would help me get the chapters out faster. hint hint

Kitsune Kagome: I'm always one for ideas, so feel free to suggest anything whenever you want. I'll always try to fit in any suggestions or ideas into my story. It helps me get over the writers block that seems to like to attack my inspiration.

vixenia: I'm working as fast as I can.

firevixen73: To tell you the truth, I'm still debating if Kag is going to be a miko or not. If anyone wants her to be one, go ahead and tell me. Right now, though, Kagome is just a fast healer.

Chibes: I think this chapter will answer your question.

Shabopo: This is an AU. The Dark Tournament did happen, I just got rid of Toguro in there. Also, it's after Rescue Yukina. Don't worry; I get lost with my own stories, too.

JoWashington: I might not have Kagome have that happen. This is an AU, and she actually needed to go to the past for all that to happen. Since she didn't, I won't even bother adding that. As for Suuichi, you'll find out soon enough that he lives on his own.

Dragon: Only Rin was wearing gloves.

Thanks also to silver pup, kaze kitsune, xxprincess-sakuraxx, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan, Ryukotsusei, Seshou1388, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, S.adistic S.hadow K.itsune, GreatestAnimeFreak, April nee-chan, Jin-ashi, kitsune of the blade, purp1ebabe, KawaiiYuki, vi3tdream27, Karu-sama, otakualways, BlueMonkey89, Kimpatsu no Koseki, ShadeSpirit, treelovr, Crystal Statue, YoukoLover, lonelylulaby, MOTAS, and My-little-wolf.

Now, on with the chapter!

* * *

Kagome pivoted and stared down at the fox at her feet. Her hands on her hips, she shifted her wieght to her right foot. "What am I going to do with you. You shouldn't just get off the hook." Rusteling caught her attention and she fixed her gaze on her younger brother, who was in the middle of packing. "Don't think you're completely innocent either, o brother mine." Souta and Yuuki both gulped at the same time. 

"Alright, Souta, for not caring for Yuuki properly you get to do me a big huge favor." Souta cocked his head to the side. "You get to watch Yuuki while I'm at work from now on!" Kagome clasped her hands together.

Souta blanched. "What? With that devil?" Souta pointed a shaking finger at Yuuki, who had an innocent look on his face. The expression vanished when Kagome glanced at Yuuki.

"Yes. Maybe it'll teach you how to cope with animals better."

"But animals, especially of the dog breed," Yuuki growled, "hate me! Remember Buyo?"

Buyo had been their cat. On Kagome's fifteenth birthday, Buyo had fallen into the old well at the family shrine. Souta had gone looking for him, fallen into the same well, and landed on Buyo's tail. Buyo had never forgiven him, and Souta still carried scars on his chest from the cat's attack. Buyo died when Souta chased him out of the house and he ran into the street. Kagome had a feeling that Souta still blamed himself. He had truly loved Buyo.

"Yes, yes, I remember. However, I need someone to watch Yuuki. This solves my problem quickly and easily." Souta reluctantly nodded his head. "And as for you," Kagome said in a scolding tone, turning to Youko. "You will go with me to work in two days. I have some young children there who would just _love_ you."

Youko's eyes widened. He heard Suuichi snickering in the background and ignored him. Kids? With him? The tail-pulling, ear-tweaking, fur-rending little devils that humans spawned in a never-ending stream? He shuddered at the thought.

"Don't worry, you'll love them." Kagome knelt down to scrath Youko behind the ears. Youko unconsiously leaned into the treatment.

**_Oh, this is great,_** Suuichi barked in between laughs.

_Just what is so funny? _Youko closed his eyes in contentment.

Suuichi took a calming breath and tried to hold his laughter. **_Can't you hear yourself?_** He broke into another bout of laughter.

_No, wha-_ Youko listened closely and heard a soft noise. It took him a moment to discover what the noise was, and when he did, he backpedeled into the couch and his eyes widened.

"What's wrong, Yuuki?" Kagome stood slowly and began to walk slowly to the frantic animal.

Suuichi continued his snickering and Youko began to sputter.

_I couldn't, I can't, I'm not..._

_**Oh, yes you were.**_ Suuichi guffawed. **_The Great Fox Theif of Makai was-_**

_Don't you _dare _say it! _Youko pleaded.

**_-Was purring. _Purring!**Suuichi cracked up again. **_Oh, I can't wait to tell the others._**

Youko looked like he had just found out that his next great heist was canceled._You wouldn't. _One look at his rolling on the non-existant floor changed his mind. _Gods, you _would.

"Yuuki?" Both spirits jumped at Kagome's voice. "What's up?"

A door slamming shut signaled the exit of Souta. Kagome whipped around. "Well, that was pleasant."

* * *

"Come _on_, Yuuki. I gotta go!" Kagome strained against the resistant fox and his leash, inching achingly slow to the car that she had rented the other day. "I'm going to be late!" She heaved again, her khaki camo pants stretching with her legs and her sandals flopping and sliding against the pavement. The red leash lay wrapped around her wrist, overlapping the sleeve of her maroon, fitted shirt. 

_NO! I won't be tormented by those devil incarnates!_ Youko strained against the confines of the collar and wriggled under the pressure. _Never in my life!_

Suuichi, who had taken to being a not-so-innocent bystander, chuckled at the spirits antics. **_You'd think you were going to your death, the way your fussing so._**

Youko turned pleading eyes onto his other half. He recieved no sympathy as Suuichi continued laughing. _Yeah, let's see how much fun _you_ have with them!_

Suuichi gave a thoughtful look. _**Let's.**_ The next thing Youko knew, Suuichi had tackeled him and was now in charge.

_Wha- n__o fair!_

**_Whoever said life is fair had major issues. _**Suuichi righted his paws under him and trotted obediently to the car. He waited for Kagome to open the passanger side door of the Corolla and leapt into the seat. He ignored Kagome's confused look.

_You just can't _do_ that! _Youko cried indignantly. He swatted at his other half.

Suuichi ducked the assult and looked at his reflection in the window, his green eyes flashing gold as Youko began to conplain. **_Excuse me, but I believe I just _did.**

Suuichi ignored Youko's remarks as Kagome started the engine and pulled out of the driveway.

Ten minutes later found Suuichi exiting the car, Youko still talking.

_-never did _anything _like this to you! It's not _fair!

Suuichi rolled his eyes as he followed Kagome sedatedly into the hospital. Right, left, middle fork Suuichi jogged behind his 'owner'.

They came to a large metal door. Kagome slowly swung it open and waited for Suuichi to pass. He slowly walked in and looked around curiously. The room was filled with gym mats and toys, which surprised both Youko and Suuichi into silence; Youko because he hadn't seen anything like this room in any of the hospitals Suuichi had visited, and Suuichi because he just wasn't expecting it.

Kagome glanced down at Yuuki. "What do you think?"

Yuuki wuffed and Kagome let him off the leash. Yuuki immediately headed to the pile of cusions and flopped down onto them. Kagome let out a small chuckle and sat down to await her first patient.

* * *

Shippo cautiously stepped into the room. This was his second visit this week, and he still didn't entirely trust the doctor. His arm, still as pale and thin as ever, hung lax at his side. 

Not that Dr. Higurashii wasn't nice and friendly. Shippo had had one too many bad experiences with strangers to completely trust her. Hismother had left his father, after beating Shippo every day of his life for five years. His father had been too busy to take care of Shippo and had left him with his aunt Shinkirou, who never let him eat candy, play outside and ignore his homework for a while or just be a kid. He had had to get home from school and work immediately on his homework, eat supper strictly at six, study for three hours, and then hop into bed at exactly nine. He never had time for friends, not that he had even had any.

Then came the robbery, and his father's death. His father had owned a store that was robbed one night. The robbers had shot at a shadow, which had been his father going to check the noises. They told Shippo that his father had died instintaniously, but Shippo truly doubted it. His father's face had been contorted with pain and agony, and it constantly plagued him with nightmares and the like. He was taken out of his aunts custody and sent away to another town.

This had been three years ago. In that time, Shippo had wished desperately for the old days with his mother. At least then he had been able to play and have _some _friends, regardless of the beatings he had had. No, anything was better then Doryoku. Shippo's current guardian was a single woman that was a perfect blend of Shippo's mother and aunt's worst qualities. If there were an award for taking a child's childhood and spirit from him, Doryoku would surely have taken it. She fostered other children around Shippo's age. One was named Kanna, the other was known as Chinmoku, Chin-chan for short.

Shippo liked Kanna, sweet and shy Kanna. Chin-chan never talked, but he always had good ideas to help keep their hopes up. Chin-chan was the oldest by two weeks. Shippo was next, and the tallest, followed by Kanna being the youngest and shortest. Shippo admired Kanna's ability to stand strong when she was an albino, premature baby. She was picked on all the time, and so had an inmistakable mask wrapped around her persona at all times. Shippo and Chin-chan were the only ones she trusted, for they were all each of them had left.

Chin-chan was the opposite of Kanna in every physical aspect. He had been born later then the due date from his mother and always had perfect health. His black hair and cobalt eyes stood out starkly when put next to Kanna. He hardly said a word, and only when he was around one of his two best friends were those words said. He and Shippo were Kanna's protective older brothers, and Kanna was their most treasured friend.

Strangers had always visited Doryoku, usually in the middle of the night. They would sit with her and talk about dealing, but with what, none of Shippo's friends ever found out. They would deal all night, Doryoku and those hispanic strangers. They would strike a deal, and the next time they would be seen, they would beat everyone within sight and cut the deal in half. They normally picked on Kanna, poor defenceless Kanna. Shippo would never forgive them.

Hence the reason for never completely trusting a stranger, especially an adult. Other then that, Kagome was a dream come true.

"Hello, Shippo," Kagome greeted. "It's nice to see you again." Shippo nodded. "I brought a friend."

Shippo looked around. "Who?" he asked quietly. Kagome motioned for him to come closer, and he did so cautiously. When he was almost right next to her, Shippo was able to see the friend.

He stopped and looked down upon a sleeping silver fox. He gaspedat the coat and his eyes filled with happiness. He had always been partial to foxes, especially since he himself was a fox demon. Not that anyone knew, except his two friends. After all, Kanna was a demon of the void and Chin-chan was a descendent of the not-so-famous demon Karasu.

Shippo cooed on sight, which roused Youko from his slumber.

_What? Who's there? _He blinked drowsily and poked at his other half.

Suuichi yawned and poked him back.**_ You do know that it is very rude to poke someone who isn't even awake yet?_**

Youko stared pointedly at Suuichi. _Since when have I been known to have manners?_

Suuichi yawned and settled down again. **_Fair point._**

It was only then that Youko realized he was in control again. He wanted to leap with joy and happiness, and only just stopped himself when he sensed another demon's presence.

He looked around from Kagome's lap for said presence, and came face to face with a young kit. He looked at the kit, the kit looked at him, and they both yelped and ran to opposite sides of the room.

* * *

Kagome sat in the middle of her living room and pondered the days events. 

After Shippo and Yuuki had calmed down after whatever had scared them, they had tensly started to enjoy each others company. Kagome had no idea what had prompted their reactions, but it was still confounding her. After the tense session, Yuuki had fled to the comforts of the pile of pillows. That was before Naraku had appeared in the room.

He had tracked her down to see if she would be willing to go on a date with her. Again. It had taken all of her willpower not to grab Yuuki and run. He wouldn't take no for an answer, and this time there was no bathroom to flee to nor Himitsu to bail her out. No, this time she was cornered.

Or so she thought, until her boss appeared. Dr. Gensou had practically flayed Naraku for 'fraternizing with female workers during a working day'. Kagome had watched as Naraku and Dr. Gensou exchanged not-so-pleasant pleasantries while Yuuki hid. At the time, Kagome was jealous of Yuuki's ability to be able to hide in plain sight.

She sighed and finished washing the last dish in the sink. Spinning around, she glanced at Yuuki laying on the couch. With a small smile, she trotted up to her room to read until her show came on at seven.

Youko watched her skip up the staircase and resumed his discussion with Suuichi.

_We shouldn't have to deal with three demons. Granted, one was a kit, but still._

Suuichi paced. **_I don't like how much power was coming from her boss. Not only demon power, but there was blood, too._**

Youko bit his lip.Any demon that had used blood and pain to gain power that he had fought had nearly killed him._ I don't like it either. I like it less that Naraku and Toguro both ring a bell, but I can't for the life of me remember where they're from._

Suuichi nodded and paused his pacing. **_Do you think that their there for a reason? There must be one; demons just don't live in the human realm for no reason. I mean, even _you_ have a reason for being here._**

Youko nodded solemnly. _Did you also notice that when both of them were fighting, there was an undercurrent fight about Kagome?_

**_I did. I don't like it. _**Suuichi resumed his pacing.**_ It doesn't make any sense. They were fighting about Kagome, but that can't be the reason that their here. There has to be an alterior motive._**

Youko's brow furrowed as the moon began to rise. As the full moon peaked over the trees, a soft silver glow flowed through the curtains to illuminate the living room. As the light fell upon the unsuspecting Youko, an even brighter light began to gather.

_What? Suuichi, do you know what's going on?_ No answer. _Suuichi!_

A bright flash of silver light illuminated the room and died out. When it did, a tall and slender demon stood in the place where Yuuki had been.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any comments? Questions? Suggestions? Please review! 


	11. Ch10: Naiive No More

A/N: I officially hate this chapter. I've had writer's block about fifteen times on this one alone. So much for getting it out a week ago when I wanted to, and for that I apologize.

Also, an interesting thing. Yuuki's name has somehow mysteriously changed! It used to be spelled Y-u-k-i-i. Hm, wierd.

Here's my answers to reviewers again.

April-nee-chan: I tried to update as soon as I could, but I guess your minions got a little impatient. You mind if I have squirrel pie with a side of roasted acorns for breakfast?

vixenia: I like Youko, too. Especially the ears. I'm sorry if I made you mad, but writers block likes to play with me and thinks it's funny when I can't write anything.

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85: I made Youko a little different. I had to otherwise my plot wouldn't work! Also, I'm still deciding if Kagome is a miko or not.

Chibes: Naraku and Toguro's motives will be revealed...eventually. (In other words, when I get a motive) The Shikon is still around, and you'll find out what happened to it in a couple chapters.

Water Block: Thanks for the concern, I'm feeling a lot better now. And yes, they will have to meet sooner or later. I prefer sooner.

ForestSprite: I'm glad you like it! The convo's between Suuichi and Youko are just there for humor. I actually didn't intend for it to be like this. I had origionally planned this fic to be a serious, reflections type. So much for my plans...-.-'

lonelylulaby: Suuichi is still there. And the tall, slender hunk is Youko in demon form. . v

Hoshiko Megami: I'm glad your so entusiastic. I just hope you don't mind my slow updating.

kitsune of the blade: Naraku and Toguro will make more appearences soon. This chapter should answer your other question.

Vampry: Well, I think that with my luck and constant writer's block you'll most likely run out of chapters. Still, I'll hurry as fast as I can!

Kitsune Kagome: This chapter tells what happens with Youko and Kagome. I'll use the ear rubbing some other time. Maybe when she finds Inu-kun? I like your ideas, they help me in tight spots. Please feel free to keep them coming as you get them!

Jjah-Jjah: No, Kag doesn't know...yet. They have a favorite dish? O.o Cool! Your idea would help me with the comedy in this story. I just have to find a place to stick it. Thanks for reading! I'm glad you like it.

TigerLuvr: Like I said somewhere in the first few chapters, this is actually based off a couple other Inuyasha fanfic plots. So I don't really own the plot, either. "

Tsuki-tora: 1. I haven't decided. 2. You'll find out eventually. I don't know when, though. 3. Read the chapter to find out! 4. That's an idea that I might use. I really have no idea what's going to happen to them. Here's a question for you: What's your penname mean?

anette: Read the chapter to find out.

Thanks to AnimeMoonlightGoddess, KawaiiYuki, otakualways, KuraiMiko37, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan, Bluemonkey89, mizushoubi, Blade Of Fire, Spike'sSavior, Black Hands, pitbull123, Mishcheivious Skyla, Helkatz, and SnarlingDemoness.

Before the story commences again, here's a question I need an answer for. Should Kagome have miko abilities, like in the series? If so, should she go through some kind of training? I guess this will be a kind of poll, and I'll keep track of it on the next chapter or two.

Now, On with the chapter! Finally!

* * *

Youko stared at one of his pale, clawed hands. His old silver hair cascaded down his back in an unconcious waterfall. Still staring at his hand, he lifted his other to the top of his head. His hand was met with soft fur as one of his ears twitched under his touch. Youko twisted around to examine his backside and spotted his smoothly furred tail, swishing back and forth with the nervous tension that Youko himself felt.His silver, silken breeches and tunic whispered softly to him as he sank gracefully onto the couch. 

**_What the _hell_ just happened?_** Suuichi coughed slightly, his hoarse voice ratteling through Youko's head.

_Suuichi? Are you alright? _Youko's golden eyes filled with slight concern for his human counterpart.

**_I think so, _**Suuichi said apprehensively. **_Whatever happened must've affected me pretty negatively._** He then took a moment to look at Youko. **_I could ask the same about you, but I think you're already as confused as I am._**

Youko snorted soflty. _You could say that again. _He stared at his slippered feet and his eyes glazed over in thought. What _was _going on?

His line of thought was interrupted as his ears swiveled and caught the sound of a book being slammed shut. His eyes widened in realization of the situation. Here he was, sitting in his demon form on Kagome's couch, staring at the floor. Wouldn't she love it, having a 'stranger' in her house, on her couch, and apparently waiting for her.

_**What are you waiting for? **_Suuichi scolded. **Move!**

Youko jumped up and made his way to the glass doors in front of him. He scrambeled with the lock and fumbeled over the threshold as soon as the door was open. Without a backward glance, he sprang into the same tree that he had seen Hiei in earlier that week. Had it only been a week? It seemed longer.

None too soon did Youko get covered in the brush then Kagome came tearing out into the open. Her voice was frantic. "Yuuki? Yuuki! Where did you go!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and kept calling.

Youko leaned against the trunk and peeked around the corner. Kagome had changed into her favorite red plaid pajama pants and tank top. He stared at her as the moonlight softly fell over her raven hair, highlighting it blue. It flowed with her as she whipped around and swept herself back indoors.

Youko sat there, staring at nothing, until Suuichi broke the silence. **_What's this? The Great Theif Youko Kurama, has a crush?_** His sly voice wove around the fox.

He snapped out of his stupor. _What do you mean? I have infatuatuions. I don't do crushes, love or loyalty._ He shifted positions and began to climb down the tree, his spirit energy unconciously helping him to find, or make, foot- and handholds.

Suuichi poked him and caused Youko to slide down to the ground and land on his rear. _**Are you **_**sure _about that? What about Koto from the Dark Tournament? _**

Youko stood and rubbed his tail. _That hurt, you know. _He began to make his way to the fence. _And I do remember. That wasn't a crush. That was infatuation. _

_**Yeah, even when you wouldn't **_**shut up _about her the entire time? You may have taken her to bed those few times, but that doesn't mean you didn't feel something for her during the tournament. _**

Youko shook his head as he unlatched the gate and exited the yard. _Doesn't mean I did, either. _The gate squeaked behind him as a breeze shifted it and Youko's clothing.

**_We need to do something about your...appendages, _**Suuichi commented softly.

Youko nodded and walked to the end of the driveway. He looked both left and right, trying to decide which way would take him back to Suuichi's apartment. He lifted an elegantly shaped eyebrow and shrugged. Turning right, just because it was a direction, he began to stroll towards wherever the sidewalk took him.

He had just passed the circle of light under the street lamp when he heard insistant running. He turned curiously, just in time to be plowed into by none other then Kagome.

Both went tumbeling, head over heels, ending with Youko on top of Kagome. Kagome had her eyes closed, and Youko propped himself on his arms. When he realized how he was positioned, he gulped.

Kagome opened her eyes slowly. Molten gold eyes bore into her soul. They were amazing, quickly taking Kagome's breath away. They stared at each other for some time before Kagome's eyes traveled to the top of the strangers head. The stranger's eyes widened as Kagome stared at his ears.

At first Kagome thought they were the cutest things, she just wanted to pet them! Then reality caught up with her. They were fox ears. On top of this man's head. Kagome panicked and took a deep breath to scream. A clawed hand covered her mouth and muffled her call. Kagome began to wriggle and fight, her panicked mind only on escaping what appeared to be a murderer or rapist. At best, a theif.

A hoarse voice whispered in her ear. "I don't want to hurt you."

Kagome closed her eyes as tightly as she could. How did she get into this mess again? Right, Yuuki ran away. Kagome made a mental not to pay him back later.

While this was traveling through Kagome's mind, Youko began to panic. _What do I do now? I can't let her go; and apparently she doesn't know anything about demons._

Suuichi shook his head. **_Do what you do best. Sweep her off her feet and take her to, say, the park._**

Youko narrowed his eyes. Picking up Kagome, who started to scream again, he used one of the local plants to gag her and tie her hands and feet together. Slinging her over his shoulder, Youko leapt into the night.

* * *

Kagome grunted as she was dropped uncerimoniously onto a branch. A very high branch. In a tree. Kagome was never very good with heights, so when the stranger released her hands and feet Kagome immediately clung to the trunk. 

Opening her eyes at a chuckle, Kagome glared at her kidnapper. The silver haired, fox eared man reached out towards Kagome. She shrunk back. Afraid, Kagome's heart began to race and a thousand scenarios flashed through her head. Fortunately, the stranger only released her from the annoying gag.

"Ugh," Kagome spat. "Nasty flavor."

"Grass has a tendency to be a little bitter," the hoarse voice replied.

Kagome jumped, having temporarily forgotten where she was. "What do you want with me? Who are you? _What _are you?" Kagome rambeled off.

The stranger looked off behind Kagome and his eyes unfocused. "I told you, I don't want to hurt you. I don't even want anything to do with you. My name is Youko Kurama, and I'm a fox demon."

Kagome laughed nervously. "Right, there's no such things as demons," she said in a matter-of-fact manner. "Demons are just legends. Fairy tales. Imaginary."

Youko shook his head. "If you don't believe what I'm saying, at least believe your eyes. I have fox ears and a tail. How many humans do you know have them?" Kagome raised her head defiently. Youko let out a sigh. "Then here." Youko put a hand near his neck and pulled out a blood red rose, which he handed to Kagome.

Kagome stared at it. Okay, so she was kidnapped by a hot guy, thrown into a tree wearing grass restraints, discovered the existence of demons and had a red rose handed to her. Right. Gently, Kagome took the thornless flower from the strangers clawed hand. "But, I thought demons-"

"-Were murderous beasts?" Youko finished. "Like humans, we come in different species with different personalities. Most of us are violent, but there are a few who just wish to live in peace with humans." Kagome's eyes widened.

Suuichi crossed non-existant arms and glared at his fox half. **_Nice._**

_What'd I do? _Youko cocked his head.

_**I quote, 'Most of us are violent...'. Any problems there?**_

Youko hit his forehead. "What I meant was there are a lot of demons who live for violence," he hurried to reassure Kagome. "Foxes just tend to be theives rather then violent." Kagome still didn't move. "Look, I told you I wouldn't hurt you. I keep my word." Youko's gaze peirced through Kagome.

Slowly she nodded and forced herself to relax. "Then why did you kidnap me?" she snapped.

"I didn't mean to. The only problem was, you were about to scream bloody murder and it wouldn't help me if I had humans after my hide."

Kagome narrowed her eyes, tightening her grip on both the tree and the rose. "Can I go now, then?"

Youko slowly nodded. "If you would like, I can drop you back at your house." He offered his hand to the raven haired woman.

Kagome looked at him skeptically. "Alright," she said finally, taking Youko's hand gently.

Youko smiled, his fangs glinting in the moonlight. "Hang on." With that, he scooped Kagome into his arms and allowed himself to fall from the tree. Kagome bit back a scream and clutched at Youko's silk tunic, holding the fabric in a death grip. The spirit fox chuckled deeply in his throat and galloped in the direction of Kagome's house.

* * *

Kagome stumbeled into her house. The sun was just rising and the birds sang to the coming of a brand new day. Dishelved and lacking sleep, a fatigued Kagome pushed the door shut and slid to the ground. All she wanted to do was crawl into her nice warm bed and sleep for the next decade or so. 

After the stranger -_demon_, Kagome corrected herself- had brought Kagome back here, Kagome had turned around and left to look for Yuuki. Of course, her efforts were in vain. There was no sign of the silver fox anywhere, and Kagome had returned home with a heavy heart. It was just like he had disappeared into thin air. It made no sense to the young woman, and she clutched her temples as tears began to stream from her eyes. It was bad enough she had been sleep deprived when she got in that accident, but now she was still faintly sore, low on sleep and had managed to lose a living being...somehow.

Sobbing and on the verge of hyperventilation, Kagome put her arms around her knees in a forlorn position as she mourned the loss of her new companion. It was a wonder to her how soon the troublemaking kanine had become important to her. As of that moment, Kagome was willing to give up an arm and a leg to get Yuuki back.

Fortunately for her, she could keep her limbs for the moment. Just as Kagome drifted into an uneasy sleep, the patio door slid open softly. Youko peaked over the side and saw Kagome near the door. Stepping into the room, he calmly shut the door behind him. His slipper-clad feet made a soft patting noise as he strode over to the couch.

Reclining with a sigh, Youko shut his golden eyes appreciatively. The first rays of the sun shattered the darkness of the room. The soft canary light illuminated the slumbering beings as it flooded the shadows of the room. A brighter white light echoed the sunlight and died.

* * *

End Chapter

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Any Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Please Review! 


	12. Ch11: A Different View on Things

A/N: Bad news, I had writer's block on this story. Again. Good news, it will be harder to get in the near future because I'm actually getting ideas from a family member. Bad news, this chapter is shorter then some because of said writer's block. Good news, I plan on making the next one closer to the dot. Bad news, there's no more good news. Good news, there's no more bad news, either.

Water Block: You know, you have a point. I may have to have Youko do something to make Kagome want to hurt him again. Just for old times sake.

FFchick: I actually started this story in April. I updated a little over a week ago. I try to update at least once a week, but that gets to be a little difficult when I'm always getting writer's block.

ShadeSpirit: I'm glad people actually _like _my writing. I think I said before that I'm a negative person. It makes me think positive thoughts when people like you read my story (even when it takes me a while to update...). Thanks for reading and I hope you continue to like it.

silver pup: Did you read Kagome no Kitsune? If not, you should read it. I think you'd like it, as it's a crossover with Kagome as, obviously, a kitsune. As for your questions, I haven't had anyone say no to a miko. So she's a miko now. I'm glad you tried, and you actually made me chuckle. It was a bad day, so that was a happy thing for me.

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85: You'll have to wait and see.

Jjah-Jjah: I'm glad you're happy. It makes me happy to see others happy. I also needed Kagome to know about demons, so even if she hadn't found out earlier...

Kitsune Kagome: You know...I totally forgot about his apartment. o.O Just goes to show that I need more memory. Or a better one. However, now that you told me, I'm going to write it down so I don't forget again. Thanks!

Cascading Fates: I'm a good crossover writer? Well...okay, I won't say anything else on that, lest it be another negative thought. Thank you for the compliment, and if you haven't checked it out yet, Deadly Games is another good Kagome/Kurama story. I loved it, and I'm sure that you will if you read it.

Hoshiko Megami: I wouldn't even THINK about not updating for that long! I know that I get annoyed when my favorite stories don't get updated for a long time, and so I wouldn't dare do that myself.

Helkatz: I try to set a limit. My limit is 2000 words a chapter. If I get between 1800 and 2200, that's a good thing for me. I figure that's an okay number, not too much and not too little. I'm sorry if it's too short for you, but if I don't have a limit then I'll end up with one 9000 word chapter and the next one will be only about 200 words. I don't want that to happen, so this is my compromise.

susie202: Well, I'm glad you've been here since the beginning! It makes me feel nice.

vixenia: That'd be too easy, so I'm going to complicate things in a couple chapters. Can you guess what?

atamagaokashii Ookami: I don't reply if it's just something like 'Update soon' or something. I actually only reply to people who ask a question or jog my thoughts with a reply. Or I need to explain something. If I don't reply to someone, also, I put them at the bottom as a thank you. I'm sorry if I missed something, but I really think I've gotten you every other time.

BloodspillerInuluver: I try to update as fast as my clumsy fingers can type, but lately I've been having writer's block or have been away from a computer. If you have any suggestions, that might help me update sooner, but I still have a life to live. Sorry if it makes you upset, but there you go.

April-nee-chan: Well, they ran away from me before I could have a friendly little barbaque. Better luck next time, eh? I'm working on chapters as fast as I can, and I'm about as fast at typing as a cucumber. Just as limber, too. If that makes any sense. If you ever need help, I'll help! I will! n.n

AnimeMoonlightGoddess: If you had a limited vocabulary, you'd use 'gallop' too. I try to vary my words, but I never pay attention to thesarus' and when I read, good words go in one ear and out the other. I'd appreciate not having my word choice laughed at, as it makes me more nervous and takes me longer to update.

kitsune of the blade: It's hard for me to write characters in character, but I try my best. As for my villans...wait and see.

Ryukotsusei: Of course he will. He has to if it's going to be a Kagome/Kurama pairing.

Thanks to: Kokoro Mizu no Kaze, Black Hands, LuzdeVida, WhyWhatShutup, Tsuki-tora, pitbull123, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan and siren66.

Japanese words you may or may not need to know: **Youki- **basically demonic energy. **Youkai**- a demon. **Shikon no Tama-** Jewel of Four Souls. **Miko- **A priestess that uses spiritual energy. In my story, they can heal quickly and purify demons. There's also a little extra that you'll have to read about later. **Seijou- **Purity.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything in this chapter, except a handful of demons and a hospital.

* * *

Naraku waited outside of Kagome's house. Oh, he knew she was there. Her and that chump fox of hers. That rotten little peice of filth was the reason he never wanted a pet. Or children, for that matter. Well, only to carry out his line if he had to. But children were the one true plagues of earth, and one plague he wanted rid of for good. 

Oh, it was a farfetched idea, but Naraku could wish.

He settled into his hiding place a little better, rough jeans creaking as they bent with his form.

Waiting was one thing that Naraku had always been good at. He was very patient, and it showed. After all, look at how long he had been going after the same woman. The same woman that refused to acknowledge him; the same woman that held his mind in her icy claws and never let him have a moments peice.

Oh yes, he had been after Kagome for years. Not that she knew it, of course. Naraku could still remember setting eyes on that raven-haired beauty. It haunted him like nothing else, and the more he found out about her, the more it drove him mad.

It had happened five years ago, back when Naraku was still living in a small apartment downtown. He had been out on a stroll just after a job. Back then, he had been a special agent for special customers. That is to say, a sort of assassin. After finishing off a particular challenge, Naraku had been riding high on adrenaline and riches. It was a profitable night, and he wanted to celebrate more. He had immediately thought of a club he used to haunt, a shady place in the ghetto part of town.

It was cold, so naturally he was all bundled up against the cold. He had always hated the cold, and that was another plague upon the world. His entire body was covered, save his eyes, and it helped him to blend into the shadows. Another useful thing, when you live in an unsafe part of town. But that was something different entirely, and Naraku turned his mind back to the memory.

Right, so he had been walking to that club and, low and behold, who should run into him but Kagome. Beautiful Kagome, with her sweet lips turning blue from the cold, her cheeks afire at the biting wind. Of course, she only knew she bumped into someone. She wouldn't remember him, for he had been covered from the cold. And here she was, wearing naught but a jacket over her clothes to protect herself from the harsh winter night.

What she had been doing then, Naraku still didn't know. But something lured her from her cozy home that night, and from then on Naraku had been watching.

Watching and waiting for four years. Then his calling had come, when a demon counterpart of his informed him of her job. A physical therapist fit her. And after more information was gathered, a plan began to form in Naraku's pretty head.

According to demon spies and other resources, Kagome protected the Shikon no Tama. The jewel every demon to ever exist lusted over and craved.

That had cinched it. Pulling a few strings, Naraku had gotten himself hired to the same hospital where Kagome worked. He had begun to woo her then, using every trick possible.

Naraku's hands clenched and his nails bit into his leg. It made his blood boil to think that any woman could withstand his charms, even one so independent as Kagome. No one had ever refused him before, and by all forces in the world, no one ever would. He would get his way eventually, he only need wait.

As the blood soaked into his designer pants, Naraku began to laugh.

Oh, he would have his prize. Make no mistake, Kagome would be his.

* * *

Sango sighed and sat down at her desk. Her crisp, white lab coat attempted to reach the ground as it swayed with a non-existant breeze. The air played with strands of her hair that refused to listen to the laws of hairstyling and would not stay in the neat knot at the base of the brunette's neck. Rubbing her sore eyes with a weary hand, she overlooked her latest complaints. 

Some people would think that being the head of the largest hospital in town would be a good thing. Lots of money, no need to practice if you didn't feel like it, and you could take sick days whenever you wanted to. That, and give yourself as much vacation time as you pleased.

Sango wished that was the case. No, she didn't make a ton of money for a doctor, because she was in charge of repairing everything that went wrong in her hospitatl. That happened often, so she brought home only slightly more then the average Ph.D. She still practiced, but only on special patients who needed a doctor like her. And she couldn't just take a sick day or be on vacation if she had one of her patients come in unexpectedly.

Right, did she mention she ran the only youkai hospital within some five hundred miles, any direction?

That explained all of the problems and repairs that needed to be done. Getting a bear demon to calm down long enough to put under anesthesia when he had been stabbed in the back was the least of Sango's worries. Never mind that bear demons were violent by nature, but they were cuddly things compared to an injured feline. And canine's were worse. Sango was still sore from when a fox demon had back-handed her about three years before. And he had been half asleep from surgery!

Sango rubbed her temples slowly. A migrane was forming, and she wasn't even halfway done with work. After the complaints, she still had three patients to see and bills to go over.

She could really use a miko to help in a hospital like this. They were not only fast healers themselves, but any youkai to be in contact with them for long periods of time had _their_ healing accelerated immensly. Add that to the fact that you could threaten any uncooperative youkai with having said miko purify their arse off...

Fortunately, Sango new a miko. Her friend Kikyo was a very powerful priestess whose name had demons quivering in their skin. Unfortunately for Sango, Kikyo didn't like using her abilities. The only reason she had gotten training was because she had enough power to level Tokyo if she wanted. Hence the only reason she even knew about her powers; they were too much to conceal in the first place!

"What I wouldn't give for another miko like her. One that actually _liked _their powers."

Sango jumped as the phone rang. Her heart pounded in her chest and it took her a moment to calm down her frazzled nerves. Delicately picking up the telephone, Sango greeted the other caller in her usual manner. "Fraer Hospital, Dr. Seijou speaking."

"Hey, Sango. It's Koga." The sweet tenor voice wafted into Sango's ear. She had always loved his voice, and would've gone out with him if he hadn't been so possessive. Nevertheless, he was a good match for Kikyo.

"Speak of the devil."

"Haha, very funny," Koga said sarcastically. "I'm not here to be insulted, you know."

Sango barked out a laugh. "Could've fooled me, the way you hang around with Inuyasha even though you're adament that the both of you are mortal enemies. But enough of that, what's up?"

Koga sighed, which wasn't a very good thing in Sango's book. "There's a problem. A large blast of youki was released earlier last night near Kagome's house."

Sango sat up straighter. "And? What else?"

"And there was an echo about ten minutes later, but about twice as powerful." Koga's voice sounded strained, and Sango couldn't blame him. Both he and Kikyo monitered the youkai activity in town, and this wasn't supposed to happen. Especially so near Kagome, and they both knew it. "I think someone, or something, is onto Kagome. I think we should tell her."

Sango groaned. "This just isn't my day. We both know that she has miko potential, but that's all it is. _Potential._"

"A hell of a lot of potential. Sango, you and I both know that if anything startles Kagome, her abilities could just as well pop into existence. If that happened..." He left the sentence hanging.

"I know, I know. But I just can't believe that a couple groups of youkai would go after her just because she has the possibility of being a very powerful priestess. It doesn't make sense to me." Sango leaned her elbow on her desk and perched her chin on her palm.

"It does to me. Think about how strong most of your patients are. Not very, right?"

Sango nodded, then realized that Koga wasn't there. "Right. Okay, so they may be power hungry. You do know that she's going to get mad we kept this from her? Not only about her having miko potential, but that half of her friend's are demons and the other half human," she added wearily.

"Oh, I know. And that's why I'm going without Kikyo." Koga sounded a little too smug about all this for Sango's taste, but she shrugged it off. "I know that they may be friends, but they argue like two crotchety old rivals."

"It's called 'friendly bantering'. And you think it's going to be easier for her to have an ex-boyfriend turned friend there?" Sango asked doubtfully.

"A lot easier then argueing. And you're going to be there, too."

Sango's eyes widened. "Oh no, you're not dragging _me _into this!" The last thing Sango wanted to do was have her best friend get mad at her.

"You have to. I need proof that humans know about demons, too, and that she's not just having some freak-ish dream." Koga's voice took on a pleading tone. "Come on, I need you to back me up on this."

"Ain't too proud to beg, huh?"

"Never."

Sango sighed. "Alright, I'll go with you tomorrow. But after she gets out from work, alright?"

"Right. See you tomorrow, then." The phone clicked, and the line died.

Sango put the phone back onto the reciever and glanced at the clock. The flashing red numbers read four thirty in the morning, and Sango stood slowly. "This day is just shaping up to be peachy," she told the open air as she jammed the complaints folder into a file cabinet. "And what do I have to look forward to?" she asked herself. Opening the door and pulling a clipboard from the bin outside her office, she answered "More patients and a dangerous confrontation!"

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any comments? Questions? Suggestions? 


	13. Ch12: Dreams and Nightmares

A/N: Surprise! I actually got another chapter out the day after I updated. Consider it a fourth of July gift from me to you.

A couple things first. I cannot write Koenma, and at the moment, Yuusuke, so both are a little OOC. Please disregard it, it's just a little knowledge for a later chapter. Yes, it will become significant soon.

Also, an interesting thing, Yukii has changed to Yuuki, right? Well, the meaning changed, too. Instead of his name being 'snow', it's now 'courage'. Just something interesting that made me chuckle earlier.

April-nee-chan: You're there for me, and your ideas are neat! I use all of them that I can write with, and I'll help you if you ever need.

Kitsune Kagome: I actually have her reaction all planned out, but a few things are going to happen before then. Youko I'm going to have to figure out, but it'll be soon.

regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan: It would make anyone mad. It makes me mad to think about it. But they had good intentions in mind, and they'll be getting their just rewards soon enough.

siren66: Is this alright for now?

Hoshiko Megami: I'm glad you liked it. I hope this one lives up to expectations, too.

AnimeMoonlightGoddess: That's alright. It just fits him while he's a fox. Or fox demon. Can't seem to remember at the moment.

Black Hands: I hope you like this chapter, too. By far, it's the fastest one I've ever written. Ever.

vixenia: I was actually planning on having him there. I don't know whether or not he'll react violently or just oddly, though.

Water Block: I've heard good reviews about Howl's Moving Castle. I actually read the sequel, and I want to see the movie badly. I think that Naraku is the easiest character to portray. I'm glad you like it. Koga I just stuck in because it seemed good at the time, and the youkai hospital was on a whim. Literally.

Kaggy-chan2202: I'm glad your so excited about it. Happy fourth!

silver pup: I think you should read Feelings For a Fox. It's really funny, and it's a Kagome is a kitsune one again. You did try nicely. I like people who make me laugh. Makes life easier to live, and gets my creativity going. I actually can't spell that well either. I use spell checks as often as I can. I actually got past my writers block for this, so I hope I can keep fooling it until I get past this one part I have an idea for that I can't wait to write. Fast enough for you?

Jjah-Jjah: I do? Well, that makes me feel bad. Don't know why, but it does.

Japanese words you may or may not need to know: **Reikai- **Spirit world. **Makai- **Demon world. **-chan- **honorific given to younger people or good friends.

* * *

Kagome slowly uncurled from her position on the floor. Her aching head forced her eyes shut and dizzyness began to build. She felt like she had a major hangover, and it wasn't made better when she remembered what had supposedly happened the night before. Hot demons and lost foxes, right. 

Kagome laid back and flung an arm across her eyes. Had it all been a dream? Demons didn't exist, right? It was too farfetched to think about, but what about Yuuki running away? That wasn't a dream, and everything else happened as a result of the fox's escape trick. So maybe it was all real.

A slight weight on her stomach made Kagome stop thinking and lift her head up. It was Yuuki. He stared at his owner, his golden eyes seeming to peirce through her soul.

Kagome shot into a sitting position, which startled Yuuki. "I guess it was a dream," she said aloud, staring at her fox. "I mean, demons are only legend."

Youko practically covered his eyes. _You'd think she would be a little smarter then that, _he told Suuichi.

Suuichi nodded. _**Well, she hasn't been faced with something like this yet. You have to give her **_**some _credit._**

_Do I have to?_

_**Yes.**_

Youko glared at his other half before backpedeling to avoid Kagome's attempt to rise.

Kagome shook her head and stumbeled into the wall. "Well, this is just peachy, isn't it?" Kagome's eyes crossed as she looked at Youko. "I just had the wierdest dream. Something about a really hot fox demon and the park."

Youko tripped and fell. _A _dream? _She thinks I'm a _dream?

Suuichi shook his head. _**She thinks your demon form is a dream. And a nice one, by the look on her face.**_

Youko glanced up at Kagome'sstar-struck face and blanched.

Kagome sighed. "If he were real, and I knew that I wouldn't get killed for it, I'd consider dating him." Kagome looked at Yuuki and straightened up. "Of course, I'd only stay in the relationship if he was kind, even-tempered and sweet. You know how hard it is to find a kind of guy like that?" Kagome continued to prattle as she walked into the kitchen and began to fix food for the both of them. "Harder then finding a rose hereabouts." Kagome opened a cupboard and pulled out a box of Cocoa Puffs. "I mean, is it too much to ask for a polite man that's not interested in either your body or your finances?" Kagome reached for a bowl and began to pour the cereal. "I've never met a guy like that. I mean, sure, it might get a little monotonous after a while, but it beats being worthless."

Kagome slowly set down the cereal box. Her mind flashed to one of her old, possessive boyfriends. Her eyes glazed over slightly as she remembered how she had been treated. "I never want another one of _those _kind of relationships again." She closed the box and put it back into its place.

Spinning on the tiled floor, she jumped over Yuuki's laying body. His ears flickered slightly. Opening the refrigerator door she pulled out a carton of milk and a small bag of meat. "Then again, it is more exciting to go out with the bad boy." She unzipped the bag and piled bits of the meat onto a plate. "But like Sango quotes from her favorite movie, 'The girl flirts with the bad boy. She doesn't take him home.'" Kagome closed the bag, quickly rinsed her hands and poured milk onto her cereal. "It would be fun, though."

Kagome put the carton and bag back into the fridge and put the plate of meat bits onto the floor. Youko attacted the plate with a vengence.

_I never thought I'd say this, _Youko told his other while wolfing down his food as fast as he possibly could, _but I think that I'm growing tired of steak._

Suuichi shook his head. _**After three days of nothing but, even **_**I'd _get tired of it._**

Youko's mouth dropped open and little bits of chewed up steak fell from his jaw. _I never though I'd hear _you_ say that, of all people._

Kagome looked up from her own meal and saw Yuuki staring into his food. "What's wrong, boy? Too tough for his majesty?" she teased. Setting her bowl on the counter, she shoved another spoonful of her chocolate cereal into her mouth. Swallowing, she said "I'm going to get ready for work, alright? Souta should be here soon."

Kagome turned and did a double take. Did Yuuki just _nod_? Shaking her head, Kagome started towards the staircase. No, it was just her imagination. Animals understood words like 'sit', 'down' and 'no'. They didn't comprehend full sentences.

But as Kagome exited the room, she couldn't help taking another look to make sure it _was_ just her imagination.

* * *

"You ungrateful peice of shit!" A loud slap rang out into the household as two children cringed and cried as the third was flung to the floor. "I told you to work on your homework, not go out to a doctor!" 

Shippo whimpered and curled up as a belt fell onto his young form. "I had to," he chocked out. "The teacher told me to!"

The belt paused for a moment as the wielder contemplated the situation. She would be called handsome by many, if they didn't look too deep past her skin. The woman had a prominent nose that was a perfect match for her black eyes. They bulged slightly, which added to the children's imagination in the dark room. She was tall and thin, working during any spare moment and eating healthy if heartely at each meal. Her nails were perfectly groomed, and no hair dared to stray from their place in her neat bun. Maroon lips pursed as the belt was strapped back into place on her hips. She crossed dainty but muscular arms over her buxom chest and narrowed her eyes. "Leave. Now."

Without a need to repeat herself, Shippo and the two other children fled the presence of Doryoku in favor of the sanctuary that their shabby bedroom provided.

Shippo scrambeled up the rickety staircase to the attic, also known as the children's room, with a young girl and a slightly older boy following behind him. Each child carried marks of abuse, from the black eye that Chin-chan harbored to the raw stripes Shippo now carried on his back. The three children broke into the dusty air of the attic and worked together to pull the old staircase up and shut the trap door.

The young kitsune ignored his stinging back. It wasn't the worst he had suffered, but he knew that he would need to care for it soon lest it get infected. He'd had to watch Kanna with an infection once, and it was not something he would want to go through.

Finally, after much sweating and strain, the door clicked shut and the children were allowed a moments respite. Shippo's arm spasmed and he clenched at it. Kanna, her white hair knotted and scattered around her head, crawled slowly to her friend.

"Shippo?" she asked. "Your arm is okay, right?" Her voice was a mere whisper, rough and strained. It sounded like it should belong to a woman ten times her age.

Shippo nodded. "It's alright, Kanna. I'm just not used to using it so much." Shippo hated to worry Kanna. She had the most burden of all of them. She was so young, yet seemed trapped in a world where she was forced to act like an old man in order to survive.

They all had to act that way. They would be swallowed up otherwise. The floorboards creaked as Chinmoku slowly moved to Shippo's back. The shabby old room held naught but two beds that would be better off in a fireplace and a pile of cushions. Even the cushions, strewn about a corner of the room, had seen better days. Clothing lay piled in one corner, all meshed together even though most of it was girl colors or style. Blankets covered the windows from the biting chill of the night as makeshift screens.

Chin-chan helped Shippo to get his shirt off. Kanna ran to the clothing pile and uncovered a small, second rate first-aid kit. Shippo grimaced as Chinmoku laid a hand on his back.

"I think they'll be fine, but we'd better use some disinfectant to be sure of it." Kanna handed the older boy a dark brown bottle and a cotton swab.

Chinmoku poured the barest amount of hydrogen peroxide onto Shippo's wounds that he could get away with, and used the cotton swab to catch the droplets. Handing the swab to Kanna, Chin-chan began to bind Shippo's back with cream bandages.

Shippo hissed as his back screamed, but made no other noise as he watched Kanna place the precious swab into a small plastic bag. They had to use everything to the fullest extent, and of all of them, Kanna was the best at making sure the precious disinfecting liquid stayed with them as long as humanly possible. It had saved their skin more then once, and they wouldn't have another oppurtunity to steal more until the winter season. They were already running low, so every drop counted at the moment. Even the bandages that were bound to Shippo were second hand, having first been from when Kanna sprained her wrist at school.

"Shippo-chan," Kanna started as she crawled back in between Chin-chan and Shippo, "will you tell us about the doctor lady?"

Shippo nodded and pulled on an old shirt they had picked up from a trash can a year or so ago. "Sure. Do you guys want to sit on the bed?"

All three of them nodded and smiled. Standing, they all made their way to the best conditioned bed of the two and sat. Then Shippo began to tell them about Kagome, spinning the tail to make her seem like an angel sent from heaven.

* * *

Large golden doors opened to reveal a spacious office. On one end a large television screen covered the entire wall, currently showing a tall man with carrot-orange hair fighting back a pack of demons. On the opposite end rested a large oak desk piled high with paper. Behind the desk, in a large, red, rolling chair sat a young toddler with his head resting on short and stubby arms. The toddler wore a hat that looked too big for his head. The letters J and R were stamped into the fabric in bright red felt and clashed horribly with his bright blue pacifier that graced his mouth. This was the great Koenma, ruler of Spirit World and savior of mankind. 

Or so he liked to think.

Yuusuke shook his head as he walked into Koenma's office. His hands in his pockets, he crossed the length of the room in moments. "Hey, toddler, I have something to tell you."

Koenma yelped and jerked up from his former position, his arms slamming onto the remote and involuntarily changing the channel on the wall-sized television screen. "Yuusuke, you can let me know next time you come in unannounced like that!" Koenma squeaked in a childish voice. As he rummaged through piles of Reikai documents, he added "And I'm older then you, so stop calling me toddler."

Yuusuke rolled his eyes as Koenma cried out at finding the remote. The screen changed back to the demon battle, and Yuusuke watched his old friend Kuwabara fight for a moment. "You've been promoted from baby, so don't make a big fuss about it."

Koenma narrowed his eyes. "You may not be a full time spirit detective anymore, but that doesn't mean I don't still have control over you."

Yuusuke snorted and turned to his part-time boss. "Right, and pigs waltz in the sky. You never controlled me, and both of us know it." Koenma opened his mouth to retort but was cut off by Yuusuke's next sentence. "I found Kurama."

Koenma snapped his mouth closed. "Where is he? When is he getting back? I need someone to file away these papers..." he trailed, waving his hand at the pile on his desk.

Yuusuke pulled a hand from his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. He really didn't want to say this, but he also needed to get him back for a prank Youko pulled a couple weeks before the last mission. "Well, he's...incapacitated, I guess."

Koenma looked at Yuusuke suspiciously. "What do you mean, Yuusuke? Your hiding something. Where is he?"

Yuusuke sighed and straightened up. "Remember the last mission? Well, Kurama went after some chick that was trying to get away in Makai, and was cursed. More like a spell, but a curse works just the same. He's currently living as a domesticated fox in some girls house."

Koenma's mouth dropped open and his pacafier fell to the ground, giving a half-hearted squeak. "What?"

Yuusuke resigned himself to the low task of keeping Koenma from going after Kurama's hide. It was the least he could do. After all, he still had ways of getting back at the fox.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	14. Ch13: Much Ado About Mikos

A/N: Alright, so I have writer's block again. I think that I deserve some credit for getting out two chapters last week (or was it the week before?) and I've actually been a little busy. Yes, I have been reading Harry Potter and trying to research Suuichi's personality. Meaning a long weekend of watching Yuyu Hakusho. Frankly, I think that it's a lost cause.

Vanya the Elven Maiden of the Valar: I think I said that it was in her possession, at least. That's all I'm going to say about it.

Katesy: Please don't do that again. And in order to work with me, you have to keep up with me.

ranchan23: Why Youko changed back will be explained. Eventually. As to Kagome, this chapter will say. And Youko will only change into humanoid demon form on the new moon. Sorry if I don't comment on your other reviews. I appreciate them, really. The only thing is, for all that I've written this story, I actually can't remember half of it. (n . n);

Inu-babe666: I'm not going to say what happens to Shippo and the others. You'll just have to find out later.

atamagaokashii Ookami: I'm working on building up feelings right now. I'll work on making her believe, which is what this chapter is about. Also, Suuichi is still in. I just have to figure out how to work him in. However, the next few chapters will have little to no Youko/Suuichi in them. They are mostly going to be centered around Kag-chan.

kitsune of the blade: That's fine. Questions are a good thing. I like them, so ask away!

Hot Anime Guy Here's Girl: I look forward to going to your site!

Kitsune Kagome: I don't know if Naraku is outside her door still. Who knows? He's a stalker, after all. He actually has more stuff coming, so I still need him. I don't know how Koenma is going to react, and I'm thinking I should write another scene with him now.

silver pup: Well, if you see any, I'm all for it. If I see some good crossovers, I'll let you know. Deal?

April-nee-chan: Well, I'm glad I can cheer you up. Stay happy, stay healthy, and I love ya too, nee-chan!

regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan: It's supposed to be sinister. Also, I have no idea when, or if, Shippo and the others will be rescued.

Thanks to LuzdeVida, WhyWhatShutup, Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85, Kaggy-chan2202, Black Hands, vixenia, Water Block, siren66, BlueMonkey89, Hoshiko Megami, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, and Ryukotsusei.

**Note about Suuichi's OOC from Katesy-nee-chan:  
**Heyla, all. Author's sister speaking here. The reason that Suuichi's out of character is because this is a side of Suuichi you have never seen. This is his inner self, the side he doesn't let anyone see. However, he can't exactly keep it from Youko, can he? No. It's comparible to 'Inner Sakura' from Naruto, if you have read that series. This is also Suuichi when he gets REALLY mad, annoyed, etc. The extremes of his feelings. The reason you never see this, we think, is because he hides it. The only time you see him REALLY mad is during battle, but during that time, Youko is keeping him calmer because he knows extreme emotions are a weakness more often than not. Any more questions, review, and we shall try to explain better. Keyword, _try._ Have a pleasent cyber-day, peoples!

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but a few plot devices and a scattered character or two. And maybe a few ideas. And Plushies! PLUSHIES!

**QUESTING FOR BETA'S! E-MAIL IF INTERESTED!**

Without Further ado...

the chapter...

Okay, now!

* * *

Kagome pulled into her driveway, the shining forest green Honda Accord rental gleaming in the dying sunlight. By far, this was one of the better cars Kagome had driven. The lush, tan leather seats kept cool in the summer, which was a profound relief for Kagome's over-heated rear. She was finally able to drag a couple CD's to listen to in the six disk changer. She currently played one of her favorites, her CD with In the Land of Twilight playing quite loudly. Singing along, she shut off the quiet engine and pushed the door (finally, one that didn't stick!) open. Unlocking her supple new seat-belt, she stepped out of the car. Her black stilettoes clicked cheerfully against the pavement as Kagome slammed the door shut. 

Kagome smiled as the song continued in her head. Such a good song... "We dance for the idiots," Kagome muttered.

The raven haired therapist strolled up to her door and shoved the key into the lock. Various scratches and dents in the wood reminded Kagome that she needed to replace it eventually.

She opened the door with more force than necessary. The door wrenched the keys angrily from Kagome's fingers and slammed into the wall, denting said object further. Kagome winced as she thought of the fine she had paid the last time that had happened. She was not looking forward to the new one that had just been imposed the other week.

"Hey, not so loud!" Kagome looked up to see her friend, Koga, standing in the hallway. He had casually leaned against the entryway, his rough blue jeans pulling in all the right places. He casually flicked a strand of his black hair, which made women drool and men envious, behind his shoulder.

"What are you doing here, hm?" Kagome asked, pulling the door from the wall and shutting it behind her. "I don't remember giving you a key to my house."

Koga straightened his plaid shirt and began to button it, covering the dirt-covered white tee underneath. "I have your brother to thank for that."

"Figures." Kagome shook her head, dumped her keys into a dish on a table by the door and strode into the living room. "My house has been invaded. I do think I need to call a pest control," she announced.

Sango looked up from where she had been petting and cooing over Yuuki. Souta quickly scramb led to his feet and dropped the book he had been examining.

"Hey, sis, I had no choice. I answered the door, and they wouldn't leave until I let them in," Souta pleaded.

Sango snorted and continued to scratch Yuuki behind the ears. "Oh, be quiet. You let us in and we all know it." Sango smiled as Yuuki sent a look at Sango for pausing her administrations. "Sorry, your majesty."

Kagome put fisted hands on her hips and stared from one person to the next. "Alright, so why are you here?"

Sango refused to meet her eyes and Koga looked away. Souta just looked about as confused as Kagome and Youko did.

_What do you think is going on?_

Suuichi narrowed his eyes and shook his head. **_I really don't know. Whatever it is, I don't think it's warm tidings._**

Koga coughed politely and turned to the younger Higurashii. "Souta, could we talk to your sister alone, please?"

Souta gave both a him and Sango a suspicious look before turning to Kagome. "I'll be back tomorrow. See you later." With that, he turned and left.

Sango waited for the door to shut before moving again. She lifted Yuuki and set him aside. Standing, she brushed stray fur from her black slacks and cleared her throat. "Kagome, we have something to tell you."

Kagome snorted. "That's obvious, or you wouldn't be here."

Koga nodded. "Of course, but this is important." Kagome waited expectantly for him to continue. "We haven't been entirely honest with you about things."

Kagome's smile faded slightly. "What do you mean?"

Sango's face and manner were brisk and business-like as she got ready to shatter Kagome's perfect world idealisms. "First off, with our jobs. Our _true _ones. Second, life in general. Third, you."

Kagome frowned. "I don't get it. What are you saying? That you aren't a doctor? That life is a bitch? That I'm not really your best friend?"

Koga strode forward to stand by Sango. "You're only right with one of those. Are you ready to have your entire view on all of the people you know shattered into a million tiny peices?" he asked cautiously.

Kagome nodded apprehensively, a frown gracing her face.

"You'd better sit down for this." Sango and Koga took seats on the couch, and Kagome took a chair. "I believe that I should start, since I have the lesser secret."

Sango crossed her legs delicately and began her story. "Alright. Here's the truth. I am a doctor, of sorts, for a hospital that specializes in certain beings." She held up a hand to stall anything Kagome was about to say. "No, I do not take care of humans with severe heart and brain illnesses. Rather, I take care of all cases for a different variety."

Youko narrowed his eyes. _I don't like where this is going. _Suuichi nodded mutely.

Koga cleared his throat. "Here's where I, and a few others, come in. Sango is the only doctor in a large radius that specialise in demon physiology, and has the only hospital that us demons can go to and still live peacefully with humans."

Kagome's jaw dropped. Okay, so maybe this was a dream. And the other was a dream within a dream. Right? "Wh-what are you saying?" she stuttered. "That demons are real? Not just some fairy tale?"

Koga nodded. Sango wouldn't meet Kagome's eyes.

"That can't be true. Demons are legends, make believe, non-existant!" Kagome's voice rose to a high squeak, half hysterical.

Koga shook his head. "I can prove it. I am a demon."

Without so much as a by-your-leave, Koga stood and began to glow. It was a soft, lavendar-blue light that warmed the room and seemed to make the shadows retreat. It began to brighten, unwavering until Kagome and Sango both had to look away for fear of being blinded.

When the light died, and Kagome was free to look without ruining her eyesight, Koga stood there.

Or rather, someone who looked much like him. Kagome's eyes widened and she placed a hand over her gaping mouth. The man in front of her resembled Koga almost exactly, save for the elf-like ears, pointed canines and a bushy brown tail protruding from his rear. Kagome quickly bit her tongue to reassure her that she was just dreaming, but only succeeded in drawing blood.

"This is some sort of trick. It has to be." Kagome pointed at Koga's tail. "I mean, people don't have tails." She laughed awkwardly, on the brink of hysteria. As she did, something warm began to spread through her body from the side of her torso.

Koga shook his head, ears flapping slightly. "It's no trick, and only demons have tails. Well, some have ears, too."

Sango finally looked up. "Kagome, the only reason we kept this secret was because long ago, humans and demons used to live together as one. However, something happened and a lot of demons began to attack humans for the fun of it. In order to continue surviving, the spirit world created a new plain just for demons. Those who could not live with humans peacefully were taken to the new realm, called Makai, and locked there with a kakai barrier. Those who could live with humans stayed, but not before damage was done."

Koga picked up the thread of the story. "Humans feared that us demons living here would turn on them and attack like the last group did. They began hunting us down, whether or not we had attacked them before. In order to survive, a miko long ago called Midoriko created a strong illusion spell with the help of the spirit foxes. It allowed us to live in disguise, and helped our survival. The humans soon forgot about us, passing the terror as an old act of war and believing us legend."

Sango spoke again. "The demons never forgot what had happened, and decided as a whole to live among their old allies secretly, revealing themselves to those few who could be trusted. People like doctors, spirit detectives, and miko. They've been living amongst us for quite near a millenia without any more scuffles like the past. The spirit detectives keep the troublemakers at bay, and demons and humans continue to live in harmony."

By now, Kagome's mind was reeling. That demon from the other night was real. Demons were real. Miko were real. And all this time, her friends had been keeping all of this from her. What other secrets were they hiding? Weren't they supposed to be best friends? Weren't they supposed to trust each other?

Sango shifted nervously. "That's not all." Kagome looked up, anger starting to build in her. The warmth from before responded vigorously, spreading faster than before.

Koga interrupted Sango. "First, before that, you may want to know about the others."

"Others?" Kagome tried to control the amount of anger in her voice in an attempt to stay as neutral-seeming as possible.

Sango shot Koga a glare but didn't argue. "Alright. Koga here is a wolf demon from the Higashi clan. He's basically royalty here, having been the great-great-however many greats-grandson of the prince of the east. Sesshomaru is a dog demon from the Shiro clan. He is the ruler of the western lands. Yukina is an ice koorime from Makai. Miroku is a spiritually aware priest -of sorts- and Kikyo is a miko."

Kagome glared and said "Let me guess. Inuyasha is a dog demon from the Shiro clan and Rin is a papillon demon from the Chairo clan?"

Sango and Koga winced at the venom in Kagome's voice. Koga hurried to correct her. "Actually, Inuyasha is a half-demon. His mother was human, but don't bring that up around him. Rin is just an ordinary human."

Kagome's fists shook in rage. So she was the last to know about all of this, huh? How courteous of her so-called 'friends'. "So I'm the second human to find out about all this, huh? I feel _so _special," she said sarcastically.

Sango and Koga shared a look of fear and hesitation before Sango turned to her friend. "Actually, miko."

Kagome's anger deflaited momentarily. A miko? Her? That couldn't be. She had never had anything special go on with her. Ever. Her anger flared again. And they hadn't bothered to tell her before now? They were supposed to be friends!

Sango nervously bit her lip. "Kagome," she started, "we didn't tell you before because there was no need to."

"So there is now?" Kagome asked darkly.

"Yes. One of the other things Koga does..."

Kagome interrupted. "Oh, goody. _More _secrets."

Sango waited momentarily before continuing. "One of the other things Koga does is monitor demon activity in the area. Last night, there was a high release of demon energy close to your home. We got worried that someone might find out you were an untrained miko and try to manipulate you."

Kagome couldn't take it anymore. The warmth egged her on, and her rage responded gladly. "Is that all I am? Some person that has a lot of energy, a precious treasure you have to keep for yourself?" Kagome stood angrily. "First you keep secrets from me. Then you tell me that all I am is some object!"

Sango held up her hands protectively. "No, that isn't it Kagome. You've got it all wrong..."

Kagome's eyes flashed dangerously. "No? What was it then, hm?" Neither answered. "I was the last one to know. Ever consider telling me about all this if I weren't a miko? What if I were just a regular human being? Would you have kept this from me then? And don't say that it was for my own good!" Sango snapped her mouth shut and gulped. "I'm supposed to be your friend! Friends tell each other their secrets. Friends trust each other. I guess that I'm not friendly enough to earn that!" As she roared her rage, a blue mist began to rise from the ground. It swirled around Kagome dangerously, lightning streaking through it in waves. Kagome's eyes began to glow white, and a non-existant wind began to swirl her hair.

"Please calm down Kagome!" Sango pleaded. Kagome ignored Sango and kept screeching, the mist raising higher and becoming packed with forks of electricity. Sango turned to Koga. "Koga, she's going to hurt herself!"

Koga stared at Sango. "What do you expect me to do?" he asked, his voice squeaking with fear. "She's already lost it, and she can purify my ass without a second thought right now!"

Sango's eyes began to shine with tears. "At this rate, everything within at least a ten mile radius will be purified! At best! I can't do anything, I'm nowhere near strong enough to knock her out."

Koga gulped. "At worse?"

Sango looked at him soberly. "I do believe that she could purify the entire country."

That made up Koga's mind for him. For the greater good, Koga braced himself for a painful experience. "I just hope that you can keep my hide in one peice after this," he muttered to Sango. Without hesitation, he roared and launched himself at Kagome, now covered to the waist in mist. Her eyes had gone completely white and her hair lashed out in all directions like a whip. Ignoring the feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach, Koga pulled back a fisted hand and launched it at the miko.

Kagome didn't know what happened. One minute she was raging about her feelings and the next, she was on the floor. All of her energy seemed drained from her and she could feel herself lapsing into unconciousness. The very last thing she heard made her feel immediately guilty. Sango's worried and panicked voiced rolled into Kagome's ears.

"I need an ambulance down here! Koga's on his deathbed!"

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	15. Ch14: Awakening

A/N: Well, this is getting out faster than before because I've got a beta now! Yup, and I'm really happy that she decided to do this. Maybe now my chapters won't be all over the place with spelling and grammer (as people have commented before...) So this is my first beta-ed chapter, and much thanks is due to her! Thanks, Susan!

wee-little-kitsune: You'll find out for both questions.

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85: You like Koga-kun, I take it? Well, I do to, but I just had to give him a hard time. (n.n) Anyways, I put in a Yuuki scene here, so you find out what happens to him.

ranchan23: I hope so.

Kagome-reincarnation: I'm twisted in that way, too. I think that many scenes where Koga is beaten up are funny. That's just the way we are, I guess. Ne?

Black Hands: Read and find out.

Water Block: I actually loved the book. I was right with who died and the HBP identity, too. I hope that jerk on Gaia has a horrible week for giving away spoilers. I hate people like that on Gaia. Or anywhere, really. But mostly Gaia.

atamagaokashii Ookami: I think I said before that I only answer reviewers if they ask a question or make a comment that sparks into my head and I just HAVE to answer. If I don't say anything, I still put your name down under my thanks. And, if I am not mistaken, I _did _answer your last review. Kagome and Youko will get together when they're good and ready.

kimonoprincess: O.o I take it you're a rabid Koga fan, huh? The reason I put Koga with Kikyo...besides the fact that it's easier for me to work a romance story with most pairings already made and they were the last two that didn't have a significant other? Well, Koga origionally wanted Kagome to be his woman because she could see the Shikon shards. Kikyo can do the same thing, plus looks so much like Kagome that I don't think Koga would complain...much. I think that Kikyo just wants a nice, strong youkai to take care of her. Koga fits that bill. Plus, I just think that they look cute together... (n . )

Thanks WhyWhayShutup, Hoshiko Megami, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan, Inu-babe666, Kimpatsu no Hoseki, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, BlueMonkey89, vixenia, and Ryukotsusei.

Now, how about another chapter?

_

* * *

__Floating, Flying. They were both the same. The only difference Kagome could see would be that flying was more exhausting. Like, with floating, something was obviously keeping you from falling. A spell, a charm, something. With flying, you had to have wings. If you had wings, you had to use them. Using them exercised muscles. Muscles meant strain. Strain meant exhaustion. So flying was exhausting._

Beep.

_Okay, so Kagome was floating. It was a great view. She was at least ten stories above the ground in a clear blue sky. There were no clouds, and so Kagome was able to look down on the landscape without anything blocking the view. Rolling green hills gave way to a pin-sized forest off in the distance. Turning her head, Kagome could see a small village. Rice fields surrounded the small huts, and as Kagome watched as the fields were being tended by women and men alike.  
_  
Beep.

_Kagome began to turn with the gentle breeze. Soon she was drifting to the town, her old high school uniform fluttering with the wind. Children laughed and played as young mothers kept a watchful eye on them. Those who weren't helping with the harvest were tending to minor repairs in the huts and other buildings. Just when Kagome came over the first ring of houses in the village square, everyone dropped what they were doing to rush towards what appeared to be a temple._

Beep.

_They all scrambled for places at the bottom of the long, stone staircase. Everyone had their eyes fixed on the old temple at the top of the hill. The temple was old and rundown. Paint was peeling and the wood molding. The tiles of the roof were crooked and would most likely let leaks in during the rains or snows. Everyone cheered and gasped, drawing Kagome's attention to the creaking rice-paper door. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as it continued its slow progress, until finally a young woman stepped out of the temple._

Beep.

_Kagome had really never seen a better-looking woman. She was, apparently, the priestess of this village. That confused Kagome, because both the scenery and the people were out of place in modern day _ _Japan__. Shrugging it off, she continued to watch the priestess. The young woman had the most beautiful black hair Kagome had ever seen. The breeze brushed it just past her shoulders, revealing a pale but lovely face that would make any man sweat. Her garb was the traditional red and white robes of the Sengoku Jidai priestess, leading Kagome to believe that this was the past. As she shifted to get a better look, crystal blue eyes met grungy brown ones as Kagome's and the unknown priestess's eyes met.  
_  
Beep.

_And then Kagome was falling. Air rushed past her, whipping her own hair into her face. Her eyes stung as they were lashed with debris carried on the wind. Kagome opened her mouth to scream. Nothing came out. It was as if some high ranking deity had decided that Kagome had no more use for talking and had super glued her tongue to the roof of her mouth. Kagome squirmed in the air as she tried desperately to float again, preferably before she hit the ground. The only thing she succeeded in doing was to flip completely around so that now she was falling face-first. Now Kagome was panic-stricken. All of the memories of falling from high places and her own phobia of heights came flooding back. There was nothing she could do now. She would hit the ground and all would be gone. No more pizza, no more parties and no more Kagome. She was falling fast, and the ground was rushing to envelope Kagome into its arms. Kagome could practically hear the earth moaning _'Just a few more moments...'

* * *

Kagome jerked awake and screamed. Thrashing around, she felt a stab of pain in her left hand that she paid no heed to. It had happened. She knew this day would come. It was ragnarok. The apocalypse. The end of all things Kagome. And now she was nothing but a nice, juicy, Kagome pancake. 

"Kagome! Kagome, will you shut up and calm down?"

Kagome refused to heed the pretty but masculine voice that rang a note in her ever-so large memory bank. Nothing would stop Kagome from voicing her opinions. It was a free country, dammit! She could do whatever she well pleased, even if it meant she kept sleepers awake and startled lovers out of their wits. Even if it meant she ruined her gorgeous voice, it was a sacrifice Kagome was willing to make to let people know that the end of the world was upon them!

"Kagome!" the voice insisted. "Shut the hell up!" Apparently it was time for Kagome to cash in, for she recognized Koga's straining voice.

Kagome snapped her mouth shut. Slowly opening her eyes, Kagome's blurry vision was filled with white. That was it. White. The color of death.

"I'm dead!" Kagome screeched, throwing her face into her hands. "Dead, dead, dead!" Kagome continued to scream 'dead', completely ignoring the telltale signs of someone approaching.

A harsh slap stopped Kagome's chant. Kagome gulped loudly and sniffed, staring at an annoyed wolf demon. "K-Koga?"

Koga, wearing a white hospital gown and looking none too pleased, said sarcastically "No, it's the tooth fairy. Of course it's me!" Grimacing, Koga hobbled back to the bed next to Kagome, clutching his stomach. Easing himself back into bed, Kagome wracked her brain to remember the past days event's.

When she remembered, she immediately felt like crawling in the darkest, deepest cavern possible and dying. How could she do that to a friend? That was worse than the lot of them keeping the secrets from her. "Koga..." she began.

Koga waved a heavily bandaged hand and shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It's no worse than when _Kikyo_ has a bad day."

Kagome opened her mouth to say something, but snapped it shut when the door to the room clicked open. In walked Sango, wearing a white blouse and brown skirt that reached just below her knees. Her black heels clicked softly on the tiled floor, her white lab coat fluttering happily behind her. Looking up from her clipboard, she smiled. "Well, Kagome, I see you're finally awake."

Kagome flushed with shame and looked away. "I'm sorry."

Sango shook her head "I've dealt with worse, and it really wasn't your fault." Kagome looked at Sango with a surprised look "Well, you are a new miko. And going this long without your abilities manifesting themselves... It's a wonder you didn't level the country. With that much power, you must've attracted hundreds of demons to your house. That is, you would've, if something hadn't stopped you." Sango was now standing next to Kagome's bed. Setting down her clipboard, she took Kagome's head into her hands and began to examine her eyes. "You've been out for about a week, give or take. Koga will be fine. A little sore, but fine. As for where you are, you can probably guess."

Kagome nodded mutely as Sango began to check her eyes "What happened?" she asked softly.

Koga cleared his throat "You mean, after you knocked me into last Tuesday?" he asked.

Sango narrowed her eyes at him "She already feels bad enough. Don't make it worse." Feeling Kagome's neck, she related the story.

After Kagome had collapsed, and Koga was as stable as could be gotten at the moment, Yuuki had leapt in front of the young Miko. Sango found that somewhat odd behavior for a fox, but she wasn't an expert so she let it slide. After some time, what seemed like hours, the medics made a hasty entrance into Kagome's house. They had messed up her stuff a little in order to get to Koga and Kagome (Sango hurried to reassure Kagome that nothing was broken), but only completed half of their intended rescue mission.

Apparently Yuuki took it into his head to protect his mistress from all evil. That is to say, nobody could get within two inches of the unconscious girl. The first priority was Koga, as he was the more serious of the two. After he had been taken away in one of the ambulances, it was time to go after Kagome.

In the end, it took four buff men and a lot of tranquilizer to get to Kagome. Sango had taken Yuuki to the side and made sure that he wouldn't be trampled, trod on or otherwise injured in the wake of chaos. Kagome had been completely drained and was going off of reserves Sango didn't think anyone had. It took much more time to stabilize her for travel than they had thought, and by then Kagome had started to waver on the edge of a coma.

Kagome shuddered. "I'm glad that you got me here quickly then."

Sango nodded and made a note on her clipboard. "Now, all that you need is rest and training." 

Kagome began to nod, and then realized what Sango had said. "_Training?_"

* * *

_My head..._ Youko shuddered and kept his eyes closed. _I think I've been bruised in places I didn't even know existed._

Suuichi shook his head. **_Well, that's what you get for overreacting._**

Youko sighed. _I didn't overreact. In case you hadn't noticed, three of those paramedics were high-level youkai. The others were apparitions, and one of them had an aura that screamed_ 'I'm a stalker, shoot me!' 

**_I had noticed, but that was no reason for protecting Kagome that vigorously._** Suuichi narrowed his eyes. **_Unless...it's more than a crush this time?_**

Youko snorted and shifted to a more comfortable position. _Hardly. She's a miko, that's cause enough for demons to want her. An untrained miko can be manipulated easily._

**_Right. That doesn't surprise me. _**Youko gave his human half a curious look. **_First off, didn't you notice that her injuries healed about as fast as a B level demon? Second, there was the fact that she was uneasy in front of that baboon, Nakura or something. Then there was the time when she unconsciously tracked our spirit energy and ran into us-_**

_So that's how she found us,_ Youko said in wonder. _I'd been wondering.  
_  
**_-and caused that big fuss. Get my point?_**

Youko nodded. Suuichi lapsed into silence and Youko was left to his thoughts.

It really shouldn't have surprised him that Kagome was a miko. Let's face it, there was obviously something special about her or she wouldn't have agreed to take them in. That in itself was a feat. Foxes, by nature, were no good in captivity. Add to the fact that this particular fox was a combination of two spirits in one mortal body...

Why did he protect her like that? That was something that even Youko himself couldn't figure out. Suuichi was wrong. Youko didn't get crushes; he got urges. Had flings. That sort of thing. Youko was the only demon in history that could not, in a million years, ever fall in love. Especially with a human. That sort of thing was for lesser apparitions.

At least, he thought it was.

* * *

End Chapter

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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	16. Ch15: Training: Part One

A/N: Argh. This story is giving me so much trouble, the only reason I'm not stopping is for two reasons. One, I don't like to leave things unfinished and two, my reviewers just might stalk me and kill me in my sleep. Not a pleasent thought. Alright, so it's a little short. I don't want to start the scene where you meet the miko teacher (you'll understand when you read) until next time. If I start it now...

silver pup: I don't think I have, but when I read stories, I usually only pay attention to the titles. I'll have to check it out, though. I did, however, find a long crossover story that looks interesting. It's called Ties Me to the Future by Tsubasa Kya. The only reason I haven't read it yet is I don't have the time.

inukuramaRmine: I appreciate that you think my story is as good as it is. I think I get what you're saying. All I know is that I didn't want drooling fangirls all over my story, so I had to cover him up somehow. Just call it...magic. But you gave me a new idea, which I think some people might appreciate a little more.

Water Block: I wonder how many times your comments have made me chuckle. As to the male's POV, well, sorry but it's not going to happen again for another chapter or two after this one. I'm going to focus on Kagome right now.

kimonoprincess: Sorry to disappoint you. I explained above why this chapter is shorter, and I'll try and make the next one longer for you. Sound good?

atamagaokashii Ookami: I can't just have them fall for each other in a snap. Not that I wouldn't absolutely love to be able to do that, but I just don't write like that. Granted it'd be much easier...I guess you're just going to have to be a little patient.

April-nee-chan: Great scene! It made everyone who I showed it to laugh, even my parents. How people come up with crazy stuff like that is beyond me, but I'm not complaining!

Thanks to mizushoubai, firevixen73, pitbull123, Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85, ranchan23, BlueMonkey89, Hoshiko Megami, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, Black Hands, vixenia, and Ryukotsusei.

Also, I have a new fic that I'm writing if people want to check out something new. It's just a little thing I'm doing on the side, for times when I'm hitting ACE writer's block or can't think of something for the plot. I'd really appreciate it if some of you check it out and let me know what you think.

**Please Note: This chapter has yet to be beta-ed! I will repost it when my beta checks it over!**

* * *

"Can I go now?" 

"No. Not yet."

"Please?"

"Not yet. Hold still."

"Come on, she's taking forever."

"Be patient. You're lucky we were able to find someone on such short notice."

"That doesn't mean that I'll wait around forever for her to get out here."

"Patience is a virtue, you know."

"Then it's a good thing I'm not very virtuous."

Sango glared at her friend Kagome. She always had to have the last word in, didn't she?

Two days of a complaining wolf demon and a restless miko were enough to drive even the most calm and collected doctors over the edge. Sango was one complaint away from flinging herself into the passing traffic and ending her misery. She uncrossed her jean clad legs as she entertained thoughts of death. Really, it seemed much better. A nice, quiet grave. No more work. No more complaints. Just- a quiet...end...

"Earth to Sango." A purple sleeve waved in front of Sango's face. "Are we done yet."

Sango heaved an exhasperated sigh. "For the last time, stop acting like a young child and wait."

Kagome crossed her arms, the too-small sweater borrowed from Sango pulling just a little too tight across her chest. She shifted her wieght slightly, the old wooden chair she sat in creaking with the movement.

Kagome was bored. She had been cooped up in a boring hospital for the longest time, then she was immediately dragged to this drab waiting room to wait some more.

At least they could've had a magazine or something. The walls of the room were wooden, beautifully polished and gleamed in the drab lighting. The only light gracing the room came from the pathetically blinking flourescent lighting on the ceiling. There were no pictures on the walls. The only furnishings were a couple broken-down chairs that would've been better suited for kindeling. The layout left no room for windows in this small enclosure. The result left Kagome itching to leave and wishing for the great outdoors.

Not that she had ever been an outdoors-y person before...

Kagome shivered. There seemed to be absolutely no heating here, too. Kagome tapped her tennis shoes against the stone floor, ignoring the annoying look Sango shot her. There was something about this place that had Kagome dreading meeting this new person. Whenever she moved, she got this creepy shiver rushing down her spine. Kind of like how one might feel if they were to walk into a creepy swamp in the middle of the night. A swamp that had all those scary noises. And a spooky mist that rose up and made you lose track of the path that you swore was right in front of you just a moment ago. And then, all of the sudden, you hear a noise that you _know _belongs to something that isn't entirely human and is coming to have you for supper. And you knew for a fact you were the main dish.

Sometimes having an imagination wasn't a very good thing. Especially when someone like Kagome was sitting where she was.

"Good day, child," a voice said from behind Kagome. Not entirely prepared for someone sneaking up on her, Kagome screamed and jumped from her seat. The voice turned into a dry cackle.

Sango, her own heart beating quickly, refused to show her surprised. She rose gracefully and smiled. "Hello. Thank you for meeting us."

The woman bowed her head and came into the light, allowing Kagome to finally examine her. Snow white, waist length hair fell, unbound, down the woman's back. The color of her hair contradicted the young face of the woman. She looked to be no more than Kagome's own age, but something nagged at the back of Kagome's mind and told her that this woman was at least five times even Sango's thirty or so years. Cold black eyes held no emotion as the woman began to exchange pleasentries with Sango.

Her garb confused Kagome. Didn't she read somewhere that priestesses wore red and white? The colors of this priestess' outfit were a dark blue, almost black, haoriwith red strings weaving around the sleeves and collar. Her blue-gray hakama flowed with her as she stepped forward a little, wooden sandals making dull clicking noises on the stone floor.

Kagome jerked her attention back to the two women, realizing that one of them had just asked her a question. "I'm sorry?"

Sango jabbed her elbow into Kagome's side. "Priestess Tsubaki was just asking if you knew what kind of training you wanted. You can do offensive or defensive, and then you have to choose what kind of feild you want to get into. She was just explaining that."

Kagome shook her head. Turning to the priestess -apparently her name was Tsubaki, now-, Kagome said quickly, "I need to speak with my _friend _for a moment, please."

Tsubaki's mouth turned into a grin that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Of course."

Sango sputtered protests as Kagome dragged her towards the front door. Stopping just short of exiting, Kagome turned to her friend.

"I don't like her. One bit," Kagome whispered harshly, crossing her arms.

Sango narrowed her eyes. "Why not?"

"It's just a feeling, alright?"

Sango shook her head. "Look, it's not like there are a million miko here that we can pick and choose from. You have to have a good reason for not wanting her to teach her. And if that's so, it'll mean more work finding a new one."

Kagome ignored the guilt trip that Sango was trying to send her on. She had been caught in this trap once, and it wouldn't work again. "Look, there's something about this entire place that just doesn't feel right, okay? I happen to trust my instincts, and right now they're screaming at me to get my ass out of here."

Sango sighed wearily. "We can't just go by instinct. If that were the case, I wouldn't have gone out with Miroku."

Sango watched as her friend unconciously rose her chin in a motion of stubborness. There would be no changing her mind. "Look, just give her one chance. I need a little time to find a new teacher anyways, and it's not like I can just hand out fliers or anything. Besides, you can't wait much longer without having even a little bit of control going on."

Kagome reluctantly agreed, and they both turned back to Tsubaki. "I've decided on offensive."

Tsubaki nodded. Pulling out a notebook from somewhere in her sleeves, the pale woman began to jot down information. "What kind of weapon do you prefer?"

Kagome, confused past all reasoning at this question, immediately replied with "Katana". Hey, if she were going to learn to fight, it might as well be with a cool weapon. Not like the bow.

* * *

"No! No, no, no! What part of No don't you understand?" 

Kagome gritted her teeth, sweat pouring down her neck, arms...basically everywhere. Her arms were lead from holding the sword up. She had thought the first lesson would be tough, but that was nothing compared to now.

The past week had been spent learning how to properly hold and block with the katana. Nothing more, and certainly nothing that had to do with actually _working_ her miko abilities. Wasn't the whole point of being a miko using your powers?

Tsubaki hadn't been helping her already short temper. Kagome was being pushed so far, that she woke up sore and fell asleep after each session as soon as her head hit the pillow at night. By now, she didn't even have enough energy for work and had been using her vacation time to get in her lessons. She had taken to having her brother over at her house whenever he could be there to take care of Yuuki. She was just too tired to care anymore.

Speaking of, Tsubaki gave her what Kagome had labeled The Look. "You aren't even trying, you lazy ass." Kagome bit her tongue to keep from saying something she would regret. "How many times have I told you?" Tsubaki shook her head pathetically and curtly told Kagome to go wash up and head home. "After all, there's only so much I can teach a dunce."

Kagome slammed her weapon into its sheath. Sango was going to get hurt if she didn't find a new teacher soon. Kagome was just about ready to rip Tsubaki's head from her shoulders. The only reason she kept her temper under a tight reign was that she owed Sango for footing the hospital bill.

Rushing into the locker rooms (which had surprised Kagome. This place seemed more like a gym than anything else) and taking a quick, but cold, shower, Kagome fled out of the building.

"Ah. Sunlight," she sighed. It was a beautiful day, and it saddened Kagome to think that she wouldn't be able to enjoy it. Muttering darkly, she began the short trek home.

She was stopped halfway there. "Kagome!" Sango called. Kagome wearily paused and waited for her friend to catch up. "Priestess Tsubaki told me I had just missed you. I've got great news."

Kagome turned half-lidded eyes to her friend. "It better be good. Right now I want to fall into bed and sleep for the next century."

Sango seemed to snap back to earth. "What happened to you?"

"You know," Kagome shrugged. "Working the same damn excersizes every single day for the past week, sweating like a pig while my dear _teacher _insults me to my face, the usual."

Sango deflated. "I see. Well, then this might cheer you up. I found a new teacher for you, but she's out in the country."

Kagome perked up at this. "You mean I don't have to go back to that old hag again? When can I meet her?"

Sango turned one calculating eye onto her eager friend. "You think you can handle a little trip out? I think you ought to spend the rest of the week there. It'll do you some good to hang out in the fresh air and all."

Kagome's jaw dropped. "I just can't leave Yuuki! Who'd watch him on such short notice?"

Sango pulled Kagome into a walk, continuing where they had left off. "If your family doesn't want to watch him, I suppose I might have room enough for another animal for a little while."

Kagome threw her arms around Sango and pulled her into a hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! You don't know how much I need this right now."

Sango laughed and pulled back. "First things first, I think you ought to pack."

* * *

End Chapter

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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	17. CH16: Training: Part Two

A/N: Short, yes. Long time for me to update, yes. Reason, writer's block. Again. So, instead of waiting longer, I'm posting a shorter-than-normal chapter this time. If this upsets you, not my fault. Blame the creativity gods for having me write this in the first place, then abandoning me to fend for myself.

Okay, so a little plea for help. I'm getting towards a place where I haven't planned a thing to happen afterwards. Needless to say, I'm getting stuck. So here's my plea. I need anyone with a creative mind and an idea or two to give me some suggestion for events to happen. Things like ways of getting Kagome and Youko/Suuichi to fall for each other, and ways to bring Toguro and Naraku more into the story as villans. Any help would be greatly appreciated, and I'll most likely try to use it.

Okay, many people miss Yuuki. Unfortunately, he's _extremely_ hard for me to write in character. If people want him back so badly, I need to know whether or not you care if he's in character. If you don't, I may be able to write a little scene with him and Souta in the next chapter. If not, I'll just stick with my origional plan. He will be back within the next chapter or two, I can tell you honestly. However, his appearance may be brief, so I'm just warning you.

inunkuramaRmine: A lot of people are saying that, but I'm being lazy. I'm lacking in the sleep department lately, and it's hard writing him. So...no Yuuki for a little bit.

foreveryourssnow: You sound a lot like me and my sis. Always fighting over the computer... She's also taller, but I'm the older one. I like your random comments in your reviews, and I was reading them late at night on a bad day. Made me feel a lot better. I don't mind long reviews, either. I don't get many like that, and as to personal lifes, I'll read whatever you write. Never missed a review yet! I'm sorry I can't answer all of your sixteen or so reviews here, but I will say this. I'm glad I was able to make you laugh!

Captain Starseeker: I'm going to point you to my A/N for why Yuuki isn't being written. As for when they find out about each other...probably around eight or so chapters. I need some help before then, though, so any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Also, I don't know where I've been. Probably in my own little world, planning world domination...XD Thank you for two very entusiastic reviews.

Inu-babe666: I'm working on the fluff, but having trouble. Read my A/N for details.

silver pup: Do you know how many suggestions I've gotten for that? And I didn't even put it in...XP Sorry!

Falling Tenshi: I'm always open for new readers. Seems that the longer my story gets, the harder it is to write but the more reviews and readers I get. Thank you for reading!

DarkGoddessAluthri: Well, I won't say who is training. But I've had people suggest both Kaede and Genkai. I agree that she's a little kooky, but it seems like lots of people have that problem. Myself included. I actually like Tsubaki a lot, so I had to put her in somewhere. Still debating on whether or not I should have her appear again...

Kurama'sFoxyMiko: I don't think I'm going to have another Yuuki scene for a bit. Well, unless I skip about two weeks worth of events. Which becomes more and more tempting all the time.

Silent Angel of the Dark Forest: How many people have suggested that so far? Seven? Well, since I don't want to repeat myself, read my A/N.

ranchan23: See my A/N for your answer.

vixenia: You'll see. And as for the Yuuki bit, I'm referring everyone to my A/N. Thanks for sticking with me!

Shadow Girl: You'll have to wait and see. You're probably closest, though.

atamagaokashii Ookami: That's a nice idea for later. I have a couple things that need to happen before then, though, but I'll keep all of your suggestions in mind.

Sakura Blossom-Cilla-85: The romance is currently stuck in a little whole in my head. I'm working on it, but it's proving to be difficult. Hence my earlier plea for help. That's an interesting suggestion, but I don't think I want to go as far as that yet. You're the first person to suggest things for what she could learn, though. I would've been glad to use your idea if I hadn't already planned out this chapter.

Susan: Referring people to my A/N, again. And again, thank you for beta-ing my stories! I really appreciate it!

Thanks to mizushoubai, AnimeMoonlightGoddess, BlueMonkey89, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan, Hoshiko Megami, pitbull123, and Ryukotsusei.

* * *

Kagome watched the landscape fly past her as Sango drove her to her new teacher's house -temple, technically. Apparently it was far enough that Sango herself had decided to stay the night. She had packed her own pack of clothing before her and Kagome set out. Souta had agreed to take Yuuki for the next three days, and Himitsu was covering her for work. Now Kagome was free to concentrate on miko stuff, as she liked to think of her training. All she had to remember was that when she got a night off, she owed Himi a night on the town. 

The music playing in the car blasted Kagome and Sango's ears. You'd think that a nice, friendly doctor like Sango would listen to oldies music or something the like. No, Kagome mused, she had to be a rock fan. Kagome shook her head as she caught her friend bobbing her head to the beat and singing along to the current song.

"Sango, why do you like this stuff?" Kagome asked her friend. "Why can't you be like a normal person and like people like Utada?"

Sango made a face. "That kind of music has no soul to it. Give me Amy Lee any day!" She smiled as Kagome grimaced. "Kags, it's my goal to lose my hearing long before I turn thirty."

Kagome glared. "Not all of us want to go deaf, you know."

Sango ignored her and continued to sing along, turning the car down an old dirt road. Night was settling over the world as they continued down the dark lane. Sango began to slow as they came up to a forested area. "We're almost there. Just beyond that bend."

Sango was as good as her word; as Sango turned the wheel of the old station wagon, a large temple spread out before the two women like a bird in flight. Cutting the engine, Sango stepped out of the baby-blue vehicle. "Welcome to your new training facility." She spread her hand before her. "Shall we go hunt down your new teacher?"

Kagome stepped out and took a good look around. The temple was old that was for sure. Trees on all sides also surrounded it, only the dirt road leading from the wilderness to a world of humanity. It was nice and peaceful at this hour. The entire building had an air about it that immediately calmed Kagome.

"This is an amazing place," she said quietly.

Sango nodded. "Took me forever to find it, too."

Kagome was about to ask why, when a voice cut in. It was harsh with age, but kind. "That would be because we here don't like people coming to us for every little problem."

Kagome turned to face the speaker. Kind black eyes met brown as the woman began to assess the new arrival. Her grey hair, bordering white, was kept back in with a white ribbon. Her outfit fit the image that Kagome had always had with regard to priestesses. Red hakama and white haori stood out against the ever-darkening sky. Her arms were folded behind her back, and her back was hunched over with age. Few wrinkles touched her face, however, which told anyone who looked upon her that she could be older than her appearance. A black eye-patch covered one of her eyes, which gave her an air of mystery about her.

Kagome bowed respectfully. "My name is Kagome. I don't know if Sango has told you yet about why I'm here-" She was cut off again as the old woman spoke up.

"Ay, she told us why ye were looking for a teacher. My name is Kaede, and I am one of the teachers here. Come, I will show you around and introduce ye to the others." She didn't wait for an answer as she turned and began to walk towards the temple.

Kagome looked at Sango, who shrugged and began to follow. Kagome sighed and hurried to catch up with them.

All three women entered through a doorway into the temple. "We have been told that ye are staying for a few days, so ye have a room ready for ye down that hall." Priestess Kaede pointed to a hall to the left, just inside the door. She continued onward, moving straight ahead as she pointed out various rooms of importance. "There's where ye'll be working with a weapon, and beyond that room is where ye can find food."

Kagome paid attention to every detail she was told. Something about this Kaede woman made Kagome respect her, and she hadn't even known her for more that a few minutes. That impressed her more that the temple did, and she almost said as much. Almost.

At that moment, they entered a new room and met the other two people living there. When Kaede, Sango and Kagome walked in on them, they stopped whatever they had been doing and turned to greet them.

The first woman had light, scraggily pink hair that reached just below her shoulders. Her eyes were as muddy as Kagome's own, but had more experience behind them than anyone Kagome had ever met. She was much shorter than anyone else in the room, reaching just a few inches over four feet. Her outfit reminded Kagome of a Chinese fighting uniform that she had come across in a thrift store one day. Her face was much like Kaede's, aged without aging.

The other woman was a lot taller than any other of the room's occupants. Her brown hair was swept back behind her ears, falling down to the middle of her back. Her eyes were a much lighter brown than Kagome's, bordering almost a tan color. She looked to be about mid-twenties, possibly early thirties. As Kagome watched, she rolled up her white shirt sleeves and pulled out a cigarette. She was the only one of the three-temple resider's to wear normal, everyday clothing.

Kagome bowed to them as Kaede introduced the first woman as Genkai, and the second as Shizuru. Sango followed Kagome's example.

Genkai spoke up, her voice sounding like she had a permanent sore throat as she spoke, "So, you're the girl who over-reacted and lost control, are you?" She eyed Kagome, who shifted uneasily under her gaze. "Looks to me like you are an offensive type."

Kaede nodded. "I thought ye'd agree with that. Offensive would be her strongest point, with a bow as the main weapon." Genkai nodded.

Shizuru lit her cigarette. When she spoke, she sounded like she was from another world, or knew things that no human should. "She also has high power levels that rival even you, Master Genkai."

Kagome blinked in confusion. What was all this about offensive and bows and power? Weren't they supposed to ask her what weapon she wanted to use or something? Kagome decided she needed to speak up.

"Excuse me, but I was already learning offensive with the _katana_," she stressed. "Shouldn't I continue what I've already started?"

She received a look from the three women that would've turned milk sour. It was Genkai that responded. Harshly. "You numbskull, don't you even know the first thing about being a miko?" Kagome, eyes wide in shock at being yelled at already, shook her head meekly. "Each miko; each one has a strong point in three categories. Either they're an offensive miko, a defensive miko, or a healer. With offensive types, they each have a weapon they are most compatible with. That's why they go to a teacher. Any half-wit can train themselves. It's learning to use their weapon properly that they seek training!"

Kagome blinked. "Oh," she said quietly.

"Yes, oh." Genkai turned and addressed Shizuru. "Go show her to her room, and then you're done." Shizuru bowed respectfully and walked to Kagome.

"You can follow me." She gripped Kagome by the elbow, who followed obediently. "Don't mind Genkai, or Kaede. Genkai tends to get a little cranky, and Kaede is a little outspoken at times."

Kagome shook her head, blinking rapidly. "What about Sango?" she asked.

"She'll be talking with the other two for a while." Shizuru opened a door, and Kagome wondered belatedly how they had gotten there. "You can stay with me in my room, since this is the only guest room at the moment."

Kagome saw her bags lying in the middle of a stream of light and wondered aloud how they got there. Shizuru laughed before answering, finishing her cigarette. "Oh, there are plenty of mysteries around here. You'll just have to get used to weird things happening for no reason." Walking to a table and putting out the cigarette, she flipped on a light to illuminate the room.

Kagome's mind registered that this was a very plain room. One bed was pushed against the wall, and the table with the ash tray on it, stood at the end of the bed. The only other furnishings were a wardrobe in one corner, and a chair opposite of that.

Shizuru sat on the bed and motioned for Kagome to enter. "It's not much, but at least it's private. If you want, you can have the bed. It wouldn't be the first time I've slept on the floor."

Kagome nodded and yawned. "Sorry," she said while blushing. "It's been a long day."

Shizuru nodded and stood. "I'll leave you to settle in, then. You can feel free to fall asleep when you're ready. I'll take care not to wake you when I fall asleep myself." Before Kagome could object, she was gone.

Shrugging it off, Kagome began to put her things away. The chore was done in a matter of minutes, and by then Kagome couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. With a sigh, she collapsed on the bed, still fully clothed. She was asleep in the blink of an eye.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	18. Ch17: It Just Keeps Coming Back

A/N: Okay, let me say something to some of you.

_**Some people can't read!**_

Yes, there are people who reviewed and got mad at me because I put out a teaser. NOT a chapter. It was to let you know what was going on, and give a sort of preview. I even left a note and everything! I wrote, in bold, underlined and italicized letters that the chapter was NOT finished, that I was having trouble and I couldn't finish the chapter, and that I was going to finish later.

_**THIS IS THE REAL CHAPTER! THE ACTUAL ONE! HONESTLY!**_

Okay, now that I've said that, I want to say something else. I have had so much trouble on this story that I want to murder it. I've re-re-re-written this chapter, and I still don't like it. I just want to put it on hiatus and not deal with it at all for a long while. Maybe put it off until Christmas. Unfortunately, all my readers would be mad. Right?

Which gets me wondering, how many reviewers actually READ my author's notes? Anyone? Should I just stop putting them up? Hm?

Right, back to my not-so-happy rant. I'm annoyed that people didn't read my note. Hell, I even called the chapter title CH17: Teaser! That alone should have given something away. It wasn't a nice thing to have my work praised so long, and then have some reviewers yell at me the first time I put out a teaser. I mean, I'm supposed to choose my chapter length anyway. If I want to make a 200 word chapter, I shouldn't be yelled at. It's my decision.

I just choose not to. I choose to work hard to write, write, write, and hope that people appreciate how much time and energy actually goes into this story. I don't think people know how hard it is for me to keep going when people yell at me right after saying I'm their favorite story-teller. It makes me depressed and more inclined to not continue a story.

I know there are some people who read my story and really appreciate it. I like that you stick with me, but there are still those people (you know who you are!) who are getting on my nerves. I thank those of you readers who praise my story and help me make it better by giving me ideas with your comments. Thanks goes out for you folks.

So, my final words are if you're going to flame me, make sure your information is correct before hand. I don't like being put down for something I didn't do. Next time, I may blow up and put this story on hiatus with all the trouble I'm getting. It's almost not worth it.

I'm in a bad mood. If you don't read this, then don't review.

Kittey Rin

* * *

Kagome pulled back the bowstring to her ear. Her muscles shaking, she held it there obediently. Genkai walked over to examine her posture and placement of limbs. Sweat gathered on her brow and she was breathing heavily. Genkai, seemingly satisfied with Kagome, stepped away and nodded. Kagome shifted her weight to aim for the target some fifty paces away, adjusted for wind and other variables, and fired.

The bowstring twanged as Kagome let the bow spin in her hand. Kagome watched as the arrow shot like a bullet towards its goal, finally finding a place in one of the outer rings.

"You're getting better, but your not there yet. Don't start celebrating." Genkai's harsh voice snapped Kagome out of whatever spell she had been in when firing the arrow.

Kagome nodded. "I'm not. I know that this is just the beginning." She sighed wistfully as her mind wandered over how much she had accomplished in the past weekend.

This was her and Sango's last day here. Kagome didn't know where her friend went during the day, but she was too busy to find out and too tired to care when she had two minutes to herself. Each day had been the same. Kagome would wake up to Shizuru's movements in the morning and get ready for the day. After a quick breakfast, she would go work on her miko abilities with old Kaede. After lunch, by which time Kagome would be ravenous, Genkai would help Kagome to build up her strength and work with her weapon.

It still surprised Kagome at how far she had come. Then again, the lecture Genkai had given her when she had first slacked off was still fresh in her mind.

Apparently, because she was going to be so powerful, she would be hunted down by every species of youkai in the world. Not just for her spiritual power, with which she could purify any demon that annoyed her. No, it had something to do with a jewel from the past.

Kagome had just begun to research it. She didn't think she was supposed to know, seeing as she had overheard it when Sango and Shizuru had been talking late one night. Sango had said something about the idea that the jewel was in Kagome's body, and that they had to keep a close watch on her lest it fall into the hands of evil. Since then, Kagome had been trying to find as much as she could about the jewel.

Kagome snapped to attention when she felt Genkai's power elevate. That was part of her training, she knew. Kaede had told her to try and tell when any of them raised their auras while Kagome was around. That and to continue practice meditating.

Genkai smiled slightly. "Good. Because one weekend isn't going to change much. All that practice with the wannabe spiritual maiden has done you _some_ good, but not nearly enough. As soon as you hit the center, you're going to have to go up against a moving target, then Kaede is going to teach you how to add power to it."

Kagome nodded and bowed. Genkai dismissed her, and Kagome gratefully began to put her things away.

* * *

Kagome sighed as she finished up her work. It had been just over a week since she had returned home from Genkai and Kaede's temple, and she was still exhausted. Of course, it could be the fact that she was still visiting the temple on the weekends...

Kagome groaned and rubbed her shoulder. Shippo had been unwilling to talk this time, so Kagome had just ran through his exercises. Aki hadn't spoken at all, again, and Kagome had Himitsu help her with the girl's own workout. Now Kagome had to look forward to a night on the town, as it was a Friday and she stilled owed Himi, and a long drive tomorrow morning to the temple again.

Before that, though, she needed to talk to her boss. He had told her he wanted to speak to her, and she didn't have a reason to say no. Even though she got creeped out whenever he was near.

Kagome jumped as Himitsu put a hand on her shoulder. Turning to her worried friend, she asked, "What's up?"

Himitsu's eyes reflected concern. "Why are you so jumpy all of the sudden?"

Kagome laughed uneasily. "I'm not jumpy. I'm just...nervous. About meeting with the boss. You know, I've been missing a lot of work lately, and I might be in trouble and all..." she trailed.

Himitsu gave her friend a disbelieving look. "I guess that's reason enough to be nervous. But don't forget about tonight, like you promised."

Kagome nodded as her friend left the room. What Kagome had said was true, she really didn't want to meet with her boss. But that wasn't the real reason.

After all, it wasn't like she could walk up to her friend and say 'Hey, I'm jumpy because I'm just now realizing how many demons live among humans without any of us realizing. Oh, and the fact that most of the people I know are demons, and quite possibly you yourself have demon blood. I get this funky aura-reading-feel when I'm around you that I only get when I'm around demons'. Even to Kagome it sounded crazy.

Glancing at the clock, she realized that she needed to get to get to her boss's room if she wanted to get home in time to spend some time with Yuuki. She had really been neglecting him a lot, lately. She would have to make it up to him soon.

Standing, she made her way slowly to the top level of the hospital. Turning to the right hallway, she approached the very regal, impressive-looking door to Dr. Gensou's office.

Gritting her teeth, she put her hand on the doorknob, and turned.

Nobody stood in the doorway to greet her, and there was no one at the desk where Kagome knew Dr. Gensou had himself glued to during work hours.

Stepping into the room slowly, she got a good look around. She was unsurprised to see it was just like every other head office at a major hospital. Down to the minute detail, too.

She jumped when the door slammed behind her. A tall figure stood in front of the entrance, looming over Kagome. Stepping forward, the figure was revealed to be the good doctor.

The shadows around his dark eyes made the whites stick out like sore thumbs. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?" he practically purred.

Kagome, trying to get her frightened heart back under control, shook her head. "No, no. You wanted to see me?"

Dr. Gensou narrowed his eyes, a look of pure hunger flitting across his face momentarily. "Ah, yes." His voice tightened with a hidden emotion. "It has come to my attention that you have been playing hookie, Higurashii."

Kagome gulped audibly. "Sir, I can expla--"

Dr. Gensou's arm shot out and caught Kagome's wrist. "No, Higurashii, you can't. However, there may be a way to have me...overlook- this little charade."

Kagome swallowed. What was it with insane people going after her? Now her boss was trying to hit one her! "Sir, I don't think--"

Once again, she was interrupted. "I do think. Unless, of course," he told her, lowering his voice and having it take on a deadly edge to it, "you want your _dear_ friend to be let go?"

Kagome froze. He wouldn't do that to Himitsu, would he? Somehow, deep inside, she knew he would. And just to date her!

She was released, and Dr. Gensou stepped back. "I can see you need time to think on this. I expect an answer by Monday, Higurashii." He stepped to the side. "Good day."

Kagome fled.

* * *

The door opened and Youko perked his ears forward. It had been a slow and dull existence lately...did this new sound bring some new entertainment for him?

**_I really doubt that,_** Suuichi huffed. He, too, was bored. Bored beyond belief. Bored enough that he was actually complaining about it. **_I mean, it's not like she's going to come in and say 'Oh, Yuuki, I confess that I'm tired of living here. Let's move to Demon realm and hunt down thieves and demon lords so that you can lift your boredom and be content with a bloodbath'._**

Souta entered the room, and Youko put their ears back.

Youko wagged their tail. _Now, see? _That's_ the kind of entertainment we need._

Suuichi groaned and put his 'head' in his hands. **_Did you have to comment?_**

_Do you have to ask?_

**_My mistake. _**Suuichi shook his head and folded his arms. **_You know, I could bring up the fact that, whenever we have been alone with our thoughts, _you _think about Kagome._**

Youko raised their lips in a snarl. _Drop it, kit._

Suuichi glared at his other half. **_I told you not to call me that._**

Youko didn't answer.

Really, he _was _thinking about her a little too much. After all, this was a _human _wench. Not some demoness to parade about and such.

Youko didn't like this. He didn't like the fact that he appeared to like a woman. He didn't like the fact that he liked a human. He didn't like the fact that he liked a human woman who might not like him. When had it mattered that the human woman he didn't like to like might not like him? What if it wasn't _like _like? What if this was like _love _like? What if she didn't like like him like the way he like like _love_ liked her? What if _he _didn't like like her and she like liked him and he didn't like that she liked him like that?

His head was starting to hurt.

The door opened again and, before he could even open his eyes, someone jumped over him. He jumped himself and looked up, following it as the shadow flew over him.

**_Kagome's back, _**Suuichi commented unnecessarily.

Youko absently nodded as Kagome called back, "Sorry Yuuki, I'm gonna be late!" In moments she had disappeared up the staircase, making her way up to her room.

The shower started soon after.

Youko looked at Souta, sitting on the couch, who looked just as bewildered as himself.

Souta sighed and turned to Yuuki. "I guess she's going out with Himitsu." Turning off the television, he stood and began packing up his things. "Which reminds me, if I want to get to school on time I'd better hurry. You can stay home alone for a bit, eh?" he asked.

Youko didn't have to answer. Souta just walked over to the door and left, without even telling Kagome.

The shower cut off and Youko could hear Kagome stumbling around and cursing when she hit things. A loud thump was heard, followed by a large string of curses.

_Nice vocabulary._ Youko stood and trotted to the couch, claiming the spot that had been recently vacated. _I wonder where she learned it all._

Suuichi rolled his eyes. **_Come on, most of her friends are probably guys. She's not that innocent._**

Thundering down the staircase, Kagome shouted. "I'm leaving! Be back soon. Don't terrorize the house, and--" She stopped short. "Souta! You weren't supposed to leave!" she called out breathlessly. "Oh well, I don't have time! Yuuki! Be good!" The door opened once again, and Kagome vanished with a slam.

Youko decided it was time enough to nap. Not that he had anything better to do, but it was tiring to be laying about all day. The last rays of the sun began to fade and Youko absently noted that tonight was going to be a new moon.

A **tingling** sensation came over the two beings.

_Wait, this seems familiar..._ Youko trailed.

A blue flash of light swept from the fox and encompassed the entire room. When it died, a tall red-haired man sat on the couch.

"Wait a minute, is this supposed to happen?" Suuichi asked aloud.

Youko snickered. Suuichi raised an eyebrow. _I don't know, _Youko supplied, _but you had better get some clothes._

Suuichi looked down and found he was standing in the middle of Kagome's living room...completely naked.

_And soon._

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? 


	19. Ch18: That Night: Part One

A/N: Alright, for those of you who don't know, this chapter was somehow replaced with the last one. Therefore, a lot of people who read it in that time must be confused. So let me say something.

I am going to _**KILL**_ this story! It has given me so much trouble, and even though it's late, I'm tired, annoyed, listening to depressive music...! Right, just didn't need to deal with this right now. I'm using this as a vent for my outrage, so please bear with me for a moment. You, little -Censored for your innocent eyes, ears and other appendages that have the ability to be innocent- story!

I feel better. Now, I must thank NightSky (who signed anonymously) for pointing this out. A thousand thank you's, a lifetime supply of cyber cookies, and many happy wishes to you for catching that. I'm so glad that I'm posting this with a re-dedication (did I have one before) of this chapter to you. My thanks.

And now, I'm done rambeling. I'm just extremely glad that I had a hard-copy of this...

* * *

Kagome shook her head. Himitsu was late, as usual. And, as usual, Kagome was left to wait under the awning of the restaurant they were going to.

Groaning, she checked her watch again. Half past six, and Himi was supposed to be there at quarter to.

"Ugh, if she isn't here soon..." Kagome muttered darkly.

She stood from where she had been sitting on the little brick wall surrounding the entrance. She began to pace back and forth as she went through various mental exercises. It was something to help pass the time, at least.

Kagome closed her eyes and widened her range.

She opened her senses to the world, like Kaede had taught her recently. She was able to detect a handful of demons around her, most of them hardly powerful enough to even be detected. She couldn't find any malice from them, and so she was able to relax. She hadn't even realized she had tensed up until that moment.

She turned to tread back towards the wall. Pulling her senses back towards her person, she began to internalize her power. It wasn't that hard; as it was the first thing she had learned. She clearly remembered Kaede telling her that when she did this, it built up her power like someone who lifted weights built up their muscle. It also helped her control it easier, and kept her more balanced. What she had to be balanced against she still had to find out. She had a feeling she was being kept from a big secret or something along that line.

She turned once again, walking back towards the sidewalk. According to Genkai, soon she should be able to actually start molding her abilities into actual weaponry. Kagome was still angry that her greatest weapon was the bow, but she didn't have a choice in the matter. Genkai had told her that every miko had a weapon that was more powerful than others. Most priestesses used only the one, as they didn't have enough time to train in other forms, but some, like Genkai herself, had trained with any type of weapon imaginable.

Kagome's mind wandered to Shizuru. There had to be a reason that the brown-haired girl was there. Kagome had yet to find out, though. It was something important, something that only Genkai, Kaede and Sango knew. Why Sango was able to know and not Kagome baffled the young woman. Shizuru wasn't a demon, as Kagome had learned to read auras by reading Shizuru. She couldn't have a demonic friend or boyfriend because Kagome had yet to see her with anyone other than her two teachers, Sango and herself. It puzzled her to no end.

Kagome, eyes still shut, didn't sense the person until she ran into him. Literally. Her eyes flashed open to be filled with red before she fell down with a squeak.

"So sorry, miss." The speaker was out of Kagome's range, for she had landed on her back. "I'm afraid I didn't see you."

Kagome lifted a hand to her head. "No, it's my fault. I had my eyes closed."

Kagome sat up and got a good look at the person she ran into. Her breath caught in her throat and her jaw dropped. Deep scarlet hair ran down the back of the strange man, so healthy and full that it was unnatural. His eyes were the purest of green, contrasting with his hair. He was tall, almost like Miroku, and had enough muscle seen through a tight -and, oddly, familiar- shirt to show he worked out regularly but wasn't buff.

He chuckled, his calm and even voice soothing. "Well, looks like we're both at fault. My name is Suuichi." Suuichi held out a hand to Kagome.

Kagome, her mouth opening and closing like a dying fish, took his hand. She flushed as she realized how she must be acting. "Kagome, name, mine," she said. Then she proceeded for beating herself up. She was twenty-three, dammit! She had been on dates with plenty of lookers; she shouldn't be acting like a schoolgirl as soon as a hot guy runs into her!

Suuichi smiled. "Nice to meet you, Kagome."

Youko's laugh rang out in his head. _Jeez, you've still got it, eh?_

Suuichi resisted the urge to roll his eyes. **_Do you _have _to act so childish?_**

Youko sniffed delicately. _I'm not childish. I just appreciate how kits find entertainment in the oddest things._

Suuichi sighed, then realized Kagome had said something. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

_Over twenty years and you still can't talk and listen at the same time._

**_Over five hundred and _****you_ still can't crack a decent joke,_** Suuichi snapped.

Kagome tilted her head slightly. "I just asked if there's any place you need to go. It's the least I can do for running into you."

Suuichi was about to refuse, saying he could find his way back to his own apartment, when a voice spoke from behind him.

"Heyla Kags, this your date?"

Kagome groaned as the man, Suuichi, turned around. "No, Himitsu, I just...ran into him." She hoped her superstitious friend didn't embarrass her, but she knew she was grasping at straws.

Himitsu, who had the arm of her current boyfriend wrapped around her waist, looked in between the two adults before a smile broke on her face. "It's fate, Kagome! Ask him out!"

Kagome, her face turning red, stalked to her friend and grabbed her arm. Himi's date growled slightly and Kagome growled back. "Himitsu, I need to talk to you. Alone. Now."

She dragged her friend over to a shadowed area a short distance away, leaving the two boys to size each other up. "Himitsu," she said, turning to her friend. "I am _not _going to ask him out."

Himitsu pouted. "Kagome, you can't stay single forever!"

Kagome glared. "Who says I don't like being single?"

"Who says you do?"

"I just met him!"

"Does that matter? It's fate!"

"Your not going to leave me alone about this, are you?"

"Not a chance."

Kagome sighed and rubbed her forehead. "If I do this, you owe me. Big time."

Himitsu wrapped her arm around her friend and began leading her back to the boys. "If you do this, you'll be thanking me by the end of the night."

* * *

Suuichi peeled off the shirt he had 'borrowed' from Kagome's wardrobe. He was back in his apartment, about to go on a date. How he had been talked into doing this baffled him. He normally didn't go out with women he just met, as they tended to fawn and drool all over him. Not to mention all of the squealing and other high-pitched noises that came from his dates when he so much as looked at them that tended to make his overly sensitive ears ring.

_If we get a headache later, you can't blame me. I had nothing to do with this,_ Youko defended.

Suuichi sighed as he walked over to his closet and selected a shirt. **_Did I say anything about you? Why are you jumping to conclusions?_**

_I'm not. Besides, I was following your train of thought. I'm not responsible for anything that happens tonight, and I want you to know that._

**_Like I'd be able to blame you under normal circumstances?_**

_You learned from the best. _Youko preened slightly.

**_Stop flattering yourself._**

Youko stuck out his tongue before retreating into the background. Suuichi was left to let his thoughts wander once more, and they immediately turned towards his date.

Sure, she was cute. She also stopped doing her little fish impression as soon as she got over the initial shock of his looks. That was two points in her favor, but that didn't mean she wasn't annoying.

Shaking his head, he told himself to stop lying. He knew that she was, in fact, an intelligent -if hot-tempered- young woman who held both spirits' interests most of the time. If anything, he should be glad he knew that it would not be a boring date.

Blinking, Suuichi realized he was already finished dressing. He now sported a black dress shirt with matching jeans. He belatedly realized that he had unconsciously echoed Kagome's outfit of a black tank top and skirt. Knowing he didn't have enough time to change without being late, he just decided he would have to grin and bear it.

_It's not like the world is going to end, you know, _Youko muttered.

**_This coming from the same person who said that women would bring the universe crashing down onto our heads?_**

Youko innocently looked away as Suuichi went to his apartment door. Suuichi narrowed his eyes with annoyance at the kitsune. There were times he wished he and Youko were two separate people, if only for the reason to beat up his other half.

_Aw, you know you love me. _

Suuichi shook his head and began to make his way to the restaurant.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	20. Ch19: That Night: Part Two

A/N: Okay, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll comment to the flock of readers that follow my story and review.

Okay, with the Suuichi thing...I actually had that as one of my first ideas. Considering I started this story way back in April...it's a wonder I could still remember it. Your welcome for the warning if you heeded it. If you didn't, it's your own fault. I think that it'd be fun to have another person in your head, if only for the fact that you could annoy them as much as you wanted and never be alone.

As to questions...

Kiss at the end of the date? You'll have to find out. Right now the date is turning out to be completely different from my origional plans. I was planning on the kiss, but it might not happen. Just depends on how it flows.

Will they turn back into a fox? I think that has to be a given. They still have the curse, if you can remember from way back when. As soon as it's broken they won't!

Kags finds out Yuuki is gone...again: I don't think she will. Methinks she'll be too busy on her date to notice anything missing.

Alright, those are the only ones I can really answer right now. Other ones I either don't know the answer itself or I can't answer without spoiling future events. (The ones I have _planned_, at least...)

To people who suggested stuffs: Thank you! Please keep suggesting things as they come to mind, because I'm sure to use most of them!

**Note:** **This chapter is NOT Beta-ed yet. Please disregard all spelling and gramatical errors for the moment. It also may be revised. I'll let you know in the next chapter.**

* * *

Kagome and Suuichi both laughed as Himitsu brought her story to a close, ending with a flourish. Himitsu's own date was too busy staring at her to pay attention. 

Suuichi took a small, discreet breath to calm himself before finishing off the last bite of his meal. It had been a particularly tasty bit of chicken, and both Suuichi and Youko appreciated the change in meats.

_No more steak after we get through with this, _Youko commented.

Suuichi put the fork back onto the table and glanced at Kagome, who was still stifling laughter.

_I wonder what she gets about that story that we don't._

Suuichi shrugged mentally. _**I'm sure it's a girl thing.**_

Youko scoffed. _It's _never_ a girl thing._

Kagome finally calmed down, only to begin toying with her food. Himitsu, who never missed a thing but didn't always mention that fact, looked worridly at her friend. "Kagome, you alright?"

Kagome blinked and looked up to find two people staring at her (as Himitsu's date was preoccupied). She had been thinking about what her boss had told her, listing the consequences of her choices if she chose to refuse him. She had just been figuring that she should just quit and keep Himi out of this when she had been interrupted.

"Oh," she said, placing a false smile on her face, "I'm fine. Just thinking."

Himitsu, who had been the first to finish eating, gave her friend a look that told Kagome she didn't believe her. However, she didn't pursue the subject, instead turning to interrogate the red head. "So, Suuichi, tell dear Kags and I what you do for a living."

_I hope you have an idea of what to say, 'cause I don't, _Youko whispered.

Suuichi's mind began to whirr, thinking up different possibilities. "I, uh, travel."

Himitsu leaned forward, swatting her date's hand away from her. "Travel, huh? I've always loved to travel. Where do you go? What do you do?"

Kagome, too, began to listen intently. Suuichi's mind began to think of different possibilities that he could say without giving anything away about spirit world or his true nature.

"Well, all over. I- sell time shares," he proclaimed.

_Nice. Couldn't be more uninteresting, could you? _Youko shook his head sadly.

**_I'd like to see you come up with something better. And why are you so worried about what I say my job is? Last time I checked, you didn't like human women._**

Instead of answering, Suuichi felt Youko pull back. He turned to listen to Himitsu, who had been talking about the different places she had visited in her life. He caught Kagome glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. She turned away, blushing somewhat, moments later.

"-and we stayed there for over a week. I missed more school than we had planned to, but it was a great place? Ever been?"

Suuichi cursed his inattentiveness. "Um, I don't think so," he supplied instead.

"Too bad. Rome is the best place to visit." She turned to Kagome, changing the topic so fast that both adults became slightly dizzy. "Kags, you know something?"

Kagome blinked and shook her head. Himitsu leaned over, her arms on the table in between them. "I just may have to steal your date."

Before anyone could say anything, a young voice spoke out in disbelief. "_Kagome_?"

Kagome looked up and came face to face with an old classmate. His brown hair had been shortened since high school, but that was the only difference. He still had the same baby face, his brown eyes were still as innocent as before.

"Houjo!" she exclaimed. "How are you?"

Houjo smiled and flushed a bit, scratching the back of his head. "I've been okay. What about you? I haven't heard from you in ages."

Kagome laughed slef-conciously. "Yeah, I've been busy."

Himitsu, eyeing the young busboy, kicked her friend. Kagome yelped and glared at her friend. "Kagome, aren't you going to introduce us?"

Kagome kicked her friend back before clearing her throat. "Houjo, that's my friend Himitsu and her date." She then turned to Suuichi. "And this is my date, Suuichi."

Houjo, King of Oblivion, smiled and held out a hand to Suuichi. "Nice to meet you, sir."

Suuichi lifted his hand to grasp Houjo's, keeping his face indifferent.

It was hard. A new feeling had risen up inside him, threatening to take over. He could hear Youko growling in the background. Apparently this beast affected both of them. He held it in check, this creature, and kept his voice even when he said "a pleasure to meet you". He didn't like the way this _boy_ looked at Kagome.

That in itself should have been disturbing. A pet falling for it's master? It was unheard of. Suuichi quickly squashed the feeling and forced himself to believe that he was just doing her a favor. Freeing her from her friend's nagging about not having a boyfriend. Right.

Kagome, getting increasingly annoyed at Houjo's conversation choice about when she used to miss classes a lot in junior high, decided that they were ready to leave. The only good thing about this was that Suuichi seemed too deep into thought to really pay attention.

"Houjo, it was lovely talking to you again, but we have to get going," she said at the first break in his speech she could find. Throwing down enough money to pay for all of them, she added "It was really good to see you."

Suuichi felt Kagome prod him in the side and turned to her. She motioned for him to get out, and he complied shortly. Himitsu, looking slightly put out, and her date, glaring at Houjo with murder written all over his face, stood also. They began heading towards the doorway.

Kagome smiled and said to Houjo, "We should get together sometime." Then she ignored all types of mannerisms and pulled Suuichi out of the restaurant.

Himitsu attacked her friend as soon as they had walked a block. "Kagome, why didn't you tell me that the Houjo you always spoke about worked there? And was that good looking?"

Kagome shrugged. "You never asked. Besides, I found him annoying then, I find him annoying now."

Himitsu looked as if her friend had just condemned him to the darkest depths of hell. Kagome shook her head and sped up, leaving Himitsu with her not-so-bright date.

Suuichi, not wanting to be left with a crazed girl and her perverted date, matched strides with Kagome.

Kagome nearly jumped out of her skin when Suuichi spoke. He moved so silently that Kagome hadn't heard him.

"Is your friend always like that?" he asked, his hands in his pockets.

Kagome sighed. "Just about. Why?"

Suuichi shrugged. "Curious."

They were silent for a moment before Kagome continued. "What I don't get, is why most women act that way. It was the same with two of my other girlfriends."

Suuichi glanced at Kagome before looking ahead. "I guess it's a sort of game. I know it is for most men."

Kagome shook her head. "Don't get me started on that. _All _of my guy friends were like that before they settled down."

"Really?"

Kagome nodded. "It annoyed me so much, because two of them had been asking me out, too."

"When people act like that, it puts a label on the rest of us."

"Exactly. And then the rest of us have our chances ruined. Or we get taken advantage of!" Kagome threw her hands up in exhasperation.

"You've delt with this kind of thing a lot, then?"

Kagome took a sidelong glance at her companion. "All the time. No doubt you have, too."

Suuichi dipped his head in acknowledgement. "Naturally. It doesn't mean I like it."

"Nobody in their right mind does."

"Of course."

Silence fell over the two. For some reason, Kagome started to blush. She was just walking with her date, it wasn't like she hadn't been in this situation more than once. It was odd, though, that she would act this way towards a total stranger. Granted, he was charming, polite, good looking...

The night crept around her vision momentarily before it brightened again. Looking up, she noticed that they had both waked to the park.

"This might sound a little stupid, but would you like to swing?" Kagome asked, slightly uneasy but having no other ideas of things to do. She was halfway across town from the club her and Himitsu were going to go to, in a somewhat secluded area where the park was really the only thing around.

Suuichi smiled softly and nodded. "It's not a stupid idea. The swings were my favorite thing when I was younger."

Kagome blinked. "Me, too. Fancy that," she laughed as they approached the swing structure.

Suuichi, feeling impulsive and a little idiotic at the moment, sped up and grabbed one of the swings. Pulling it back slightly, he bowed and swept a hand out in front of him. "My lady?"

Kagome giggled, deciding to play along. "Why, thank you, good sir. I shall." She sat daintly, and lifted her feet as Suuichi released the swing. Wrapping an arm around the chain, she looked up at the sky. It was clouded with black clouds, threatening rain later.

Another bit of silence fell on the two, both left to their own thoughts as they swung with the breeze. Kagome's eyes glazed over as she remembered going to a park similar to this with her brother.

"So, Kagome," Suuichi said softly. "What do you do for a living?"

Kagome blinked and turned her head to face Suuichi. "I'm a physical therapist. I specifically work with children and adolescents."

"Really? Do you like your job?"

Kagome nodded. "I wouldn't do anything else. I like working with the children that come in. Most of the time their afraid or a bit traumatized when they meet me, so it makes me happy when they leave feeling braver or more like their old selves."

"Are there any times where you wish it had been you rather than your patients?"

"Of course. I think about it all the time. They're so young when things happen, they can adapt easily. However, most of them loose the chance to have a normal childhood. It makes you sad, if you think about it."

"I'm sure. I know that I would probably be bitter and resentful if I had lost the use of a limb or two. I couldn't imagine doing my work, the way it is now, without all of my limbs functioning."

"I wouldn't, either." Thunder growled overhead and lightening lit the shadowed area. "Looks like it's going to rain."

"We had better find somewhere dry soon, then."

Kagome stood, the swing protesting slightly. "Would you like to come over to my house for a bit? It's still pretty early."

Suuichi lifted one of his eyebrows gracefully while nodding. "As long as you don't mind, I'd love to."

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	21. Ch20: That Night: Meanwhile

A/N: Holy crap, this was such a hard chapter. Really, seriously, I'm writing with nothing here. No ideas, no plot lines, nothing. And I know it's been a while since I've updated. I've been horrible about it, and I feel worse. So here's my reasons, catching you up with things.

Okay, well, about two weeks ago there was a storm. (Sounds like I'm narrating another fic...) And our basement wasn't up to all the water coming out of the sewer, so we were flooded. We spent the entire night with a pool in the bottom level of our house, and the entire next day cleaning out said basement. (I got to miss school, though...) And we had no computer over the rest of the week, and most of the next. When we got it set up, however, I had lost any ideas I had to update my story. So I procrastinated (but with about a hundred words of another scene written on my account!)

Then, about a week ago, I actually got some sort of an idea. This was my idea, but I ran into a roadblock again. And every person I asked for help either was as stumped as I was (My friend's Fluffy and Mouse) or just kept putting me off (My dear sister...). So when I actually got that roadblock lifted...

I sprained my Achilles tendon. Yes, I don't know how. Yes, it hurts like crap. And yes, my parent's wouldn't let me on the computer for the last three days. But hey, I got on today!

And, because it's Halloween, I've been beating back every peice of...stuff- that has been thrown into my path. Just to get this pathetically short chapter out for my readers. Sad, huh?

So now I need to send out a cry for help. I seriously have no ideas. None. I've had a month to think about this, and I've come up with nothing. I need ideas for the scene at Kagome's, and anything after.

**Ideas, people! Need them, or I won't write anymore because I can't!**

Right, so now that that's done...on with the show!

* * *

An insistant pounding at the door mirrored the headache that was crashing through Dr. Gensou's head. He had not been having a very good night. First there was an incident where one of his patients commited suicide. Then there was the fact that his secretary almost quit on him, claiming he was responsible for some incident or another between her and her fiancee. And now there was someone at his door, at eleven thirty in the evening. 

He was annoyed. He should be home at that time, in his giant palace of brick and steel. He should be reclining in his favorite chair, with the fire dancing darkly in the old fireplace. He should be sipping a cup of strong brandy after a profitable day watching his woman and dealing with whining brats better known as the patients at his hospital.

Instead he was here. In this prison of mortar and stone, a cold and empty hall that had no personality to it whatsoever. He should just tear the entire abomination down! Piece by piece, preferrably.

His hands clenched at the thought. It would be so satisfying to feel his hands bleed, feel the building chip underneath his strong grip. He could build a mall here instead. That would attract more people, and make a more profitable business. And why didn't he do it?

One woman. The thrice-damned bitch that worked as a therapist in his hospital. The cursed wench that never left his mind. She was his every thought, in his every dream. If he torched the hospital, he would never see her again.

He had no idea why he felt the way he did about her. He wanted her so badly, it was like a disease. One that couldn't be cured by any drug known to man or demon. The plague that had burrowed itself into his very soul wouldn't let him have a decent nights rest.

The pounding wasn't stopping, and Toguro was getting annoyed. Bordering murderous, which meant it was time to teach whoever it was who was master here.

He stood up regally and stormed to the door. He wrenched it open, and was about to tell the person a few choice words, when he stopped short. Standing in front of his office, leaning casually on his door framing, was none other than his old classmate Naraku.

Both men raised identical, immaculately groomed eyebrows as they had their gazes meet. Both were wondering what was up with the other person. The visitor was wondering why his old classmate ran a hospital that, gods forbid, _helped_ people. The doctor was wondering why, of all people, he was being visited by an old class rival.

Naraku pushed himself of the frame and cleared his throat. "This comes as a surprise, Gensou."

Toguro blinked gracefully. "That makes for the two of us." He stretched his long arms to grip either side of the door frame. "Tell me, what brings you here? At this time of night?"

Naraku tensed slightly, expecting anything from the man in front of him. _Demon_, rather. Naraku remembered hearing about him in the demon realm, and never forgot a name. "I'm actually looking for the boss of my woman. I would like to propose an offer."

Toguro had no idea as to what Naraku was getting at, but his statement intrigued him. He cautiously moved aside and allowed Naraku to step in.

Both men strode stiffly towards the desk and sat down. They both leaned back in identical manners, each raising a manicured hand to rest it under their chins.

"Alright, Densetsu, tell me what you are here for. And make it quick. I have...plans," Toguro barked regally.

Naraku glared momentarily at Toguro before his ever-present mask of indifference was put back into place. "I'm here about a woman in your employment. She works as a therapist, and is one of my fellow co-workers," Naraku pointed out, knowing that he worked under the second doctor that also headed the hospital. This would be the first that Toguro would have heard about Naraku being in the building. "Her name is Kagome Higurashii."

Toguro, about to reply his surprise at Naraku working in his building, stopped short. His eyebrow twitched slightly. "I must've heard you wrong, Densetsu. I could've sworn you had the name of _my woman_."

Naraku bristled. "You're woman? I do believe you have no claim to her."

Toguro's eyes darkened. "The same could be said for a bastard such as yourself."

They both paused a moment before insulting each other to the fullest extent possible for two extremely possessive youkai.

"You dirty rotten son of a..."

"...whatever made you think that a..."

"...like Kagome would..."

"...accept someone like _you_..."

"...completely, utterly insane!"

"...never even _look _at..."

"...let alone _talk_!"

It was only after each had finished their 'insults' did they realize that they had both -unintentionally, mind- said the exact same thing.

Both glared at the other with such intensity that, if a human were to walk inbewteen the two demons, they were sure to spontaniously combust.

A lightbulb clicked in Toguro's head. If both of them were thinking the exact same thoughts over the exact same woman, that could be turned to Toguro's advantage. He could use his so-called rival to get to his woman, and then dispose of him as necessary.

A smile crept onto the demon's face. This would take some further planning, but there was no reason to not start at the moment.

He steepled his fingers in an image from something out of Beauty and the Beast. "Well, Densetsu, it seems that we have a bit of a problem."

Naraku narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "What are you getting at, Gensou?"

Toguro chuckled. "I'm a businessman, obviously."

Naraku nodded warily.

"And as a businessman, I make business deals that are most profitable to me, the dealer, and the costomer."

Naraku's eyes darkened slightly.

"I do believe I have a business deal that would profit both of us greatly, Naraku," Toguro proposed, using his old classmate's first name.

Naraku sat back slowly. There was something whirling about in his nemesis's mind. But for the life of him, Naraku couldn't think of what it was. There was no malice in anything Toguro had told him...yet. He would just see if this took a turn that could be flipped on the driver.

"I would hear your proposal, then."

Toguro placed his elbows on his desk, his chair squealing as he leaned forward. "It has occured to me that both of us, ultimately, wish for the same goal. The obtaining and securing of a certain woman in my employ."

Naraku muttered 'Obviously' as Toguro continued.

"And alone, we both would no doubt fail." Toguro paused, waiting to see if the ex-delinquant would put the peices together.

A light went off in Naraku's head. "Toguro, you're proposing an alliance," he stated.

"Of sorts, yes. We'd have to work out details, and get over past grudges, of course. But those can be worked out in the near future." Toguro waved a hand. "That is, if you're willing to take up my offer."

Naraku hummed tunelessly for a moment, pretending a debate. In reality, his mind was listing the pro's and con's of the situation.

On the one hand, he would have an easier time getting his woman. He would be able to sit back and not stress out a lot, provided Toguro held up his end of the bargain. It would be better for two minds to work together at a problem, especially when said problem was a miko with about seven demons, a monk and three elite human fighters surrounding her.

On the other hand, he would have the problem of getting rid of the competition. He would have to use Toguro to his fullest extent, taking him out of the picture when it became too risky. Two people working together would create a lot of small problems that could grow increasingly annoying. Not to mention two minds would argue a lot, given their history.

But the good sides seemed to out-weigh the bad. Toguro had stuck out his hand while Naraku had been thinking, and Naraku took a moment to reach across the expanse of the desk to shake the cold limb.

"Well, Toguro, it looks like we have a deal."

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? **SUGGESTIONS!** Please review. (But I'd prefer suggestions!)  



	22. Ch21: That night: Part Three

A/N: Alright, I'm really loosing inspiration on this story. It's so hard to write now...I just can't find the words to type. Which means I'm probably going to try and finish this within a couple months. Which will be kind of sad for me, but a big relief, too. Means I can work on my other stories.

Alright, so a lot of stuff has been happening, and not all of it has been keeping me from typing. That's just the inspirational stuffs. But, yeah, not liking this story any more.

I can understand it if people stop reading, too, but I've been thinking about it a lot and I just don't know what to do! > You'd think, me being the way I am, that I'd be able to think up something. Which is why I'm still pleading for help.

I'm starting to write down suggestions I've gotten, and I really appreciate them, but I just couldn't work many (if any, I've forgotten if I used any this time around) in this chapter. Maybe in the near future.

So, do any of my kind (hopefully) and patient (oh, please, let it be true!) reviewers want to see that I can maybe work into my unfolding plot? I've been in a rut like this before and had someone suggest something that went a long way. So, anyone? Anyone at all?

* * *

Kagome opened the door to her townhouse with a little too much enthusiasm. The door flew from her hand and slammed into the wall, adding more damage to an already over-abused wall. Turning to Suuichi, her companion, she smiled a bit self-conciously. "Oops." 

Suuichi raised an eyebrow and smiled. "I take it you don't throw open the door for just anyone," he stated.

Kagome blushed slightly, covering the red coloring by walking past Suuichi into her home.

Suuichi followed silently, feigning curiousity at Kagome's dwelling. After all, it wasn't like he hadn't been there for the past three weeks or so. His eyes passed over the hallway mirror to land on Kagome, who looked at him with her lip bitten.

She looked a bit upset. "What's wrong?" he asked her calmly.

Kagome fidgeted slightly. Did she really want to get him involved? It wasn't like he _lived_ there, after all. She took a breath. "I seem to be missing someone I wanted you to meet. Again."

Kurama's eyes widened fractionally, but he didn't think Kagome saw. "Really? And who is this person?"

Youko blanched in Suuichi's head. _You don't think she's talking about us, do you?_

Suuichi wanted to roll his eyes, but held back. _**No, I think she's talking** **about that cute fuzzy guinea pig she has kept up in her closet.**_

Youko cocked his head to the side. _She has a guinea pig? But I thought she didn't like rodents..._

This time, Suuichi did roll his eyes. **_You oaf, I was being sarcastic. _Of course_ she's talking about us!_**

Youko sniffed delicately. _Well you didn't have to be so rude about it. It was just a question._

Suuichi sighed. _**A question that you should have had no trouble figuring out. She's starting to have a bad effect on you, you know.**_

Youko's eyes widened in mock shock. _You really think a human girl could do that to _moi_? Preposterous!_

Suuichi smiled slightly. **_You know she got you, hook, line and sinker. _**

Youko glared at his other half. _She most certainly did _not.

**_Did too._**

_Not._

_**Too.**_

_Not._

_**Too.**_

_She's staring at you, Einstein, _Youko pointed out.

Suuichi jerked back to life and blinked. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Kagome looked at him oddly. "I asked if you minded."

Suuichi groaned mentally while Youko began to cackle evilly. "I...don't." He prayed he wasn't making a mistake.

Apparently it was the right choice. Kagome's face lit up, and she looked like she wanted to throw her arms around him. "Alright, this will just take a minute. You can wait on the couch, if you want," she told him, pointing to the object of discussion.

She ran up the stairs, nylon-clad legs disappearing within moments. Suuichi sighed deeply and wandered over to the living room. Sitting down, he asked himself what she had asked.

_You know, I bet she likes to run, _Youko observed.

Suuichi leaned back, closing his eyes. **_What makes you say that?_**

_Come on, you've seen those legs!_

Suuichi groaned. **_What did I do to deserve you? It must have been _something_ bad..._** he trailed.

Youko rubbed his hands together. _Alphabetically or chronologically?_

Suuichi covered his eyes.

* * *

Kagome finally found the number she was looking for. She quickly dialed. The line connected. She tapped her fingers on her crossed arm, looking out a curtained window. 

Her mind wandered to the young man currently sitting in her living room. She had decided that she was definately attracted to him, yet there was something hidden around him that wasn't quite right. Not really anything malicious, though. Just a piece of something that didn't quite fit in the other somethings that made Suuichi who he was.

Like him spacing out all the time. She had tried getting his attention about five times before he snapped back to the real world. It had appeared to Kagome like he was listening intently. He had that far-off look in his eyes, and his posture was slightly relaxed, as if he were talking to someone he would trust with his life.

It was almost like he had a split personality, kind of like that guy on the documentary she had watched earlier. Or a telepath!

Kagome giggled at the thought, then shook her head. It couldn't be that, of course not! Why would a person who had two personalities be anywhere outside of a loony-bin?

She was shaken from her thoughts when the phone was picked up on the other end. "Hello?" asked the voice, sounding sleepy and disoriented.

"Hey, Souta, Yuuki was there when you left, right?"

Souta rubbed his eyes and sat up in his bed. "Yeah, why? Did he disappear again?"

Kagome nodded. "He did, and I'm getting worried. I mean, he did show up again the last time, but what if something really happened this time? I've gotten attatched to the little bugger."

Souta yawned. "I wouldn't worry about it. I mean, you're right, he did show up again. Anyway, want me to come help you search?"

"Nah." Kagome let out her breath. "I've got company over, and I'll just enlist your help early tomorrow morning."

Souta cringed. "I should be worried, shouldn't I?"

Kagome laughed. "You should, but right now I'd worry about sleeping, if I were you."

Souta chuckled slightly. "Done. 'Night, sis."

"Goodnight." Kagome hund up the phone and shook her head wearily.

She really was worried about Yuuki. But what could she do at the moment? It was bordering eleven at night, and she _did_ have a guest over.

Knowing she was going to stress out the next morning if her fox wasn't back soon, she returned to the living room.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions would be nice. Please review.  



	23. Ch22: A New Day

A/N: No excuses this time, really, except for the last week. I was grounded. Okay, that's the bad news.

The good news? I've figured out how this is going to end! Yes, I just have to come up with some decent fluff-filler, work in a couple more Suuichi-Kagome and Youko-Kagome scenes, and then this story is pretty much finished. And it hasn't even been a year yet! Wow.

Right then. Things to say...I was on a bit of a sugar high when I wrote this, so the thing about the dolphins...yeah, I wasn't quite myself.

Alright, I know there's more to say...Right. Updates. I'm trying to update as much as I can. The fact is, I'm a procrastinator. So if anyone feels like helping to kick me into writing some more, feel free!

Also, I thank all the new people who reviewed recently. I really enjoy seeing people keeping up with my story and coming into it again. It made me happy when I read some of them on a bad day.

Thanks to all my reviewers that keep coming back. To be honest, knowing that if I stopped this story (or if I think about stopping in the future) that I would disappoint all of my readers is the only reason I've gotten as far as I have. So I thank each and every one of you for keeping this story going.

Alright, just one final thing. I was looking at my reviews, and I found something amusing. For the past four chapters, the reviews have alternated between seventeen and nineteen reviews each. Funny, ne?

Alright, enough rambeling! Read already!

* * *

Kagome slowly woke from where she had fallen asleep with Suuichi on her couch. They had stayed up talking late into the night, mostly of life but also about themselves. She had enjoyed the red head's company immensly. Kagome didn't remember falling asleep, however, and flushed a bit as she thought of what kind of impression she must have made on Suuichi. 

Sitting up, she squinted in the sunlight and looked around. It looked to be definately past noon. No doubt the only reason she hadn't recieved a phone call from her boss was because it was a Saturday. Kagome was also quite alone in her house.

She called out Suuichi's name quietly, but didn't expect an answer. Pouting only slightly, she folded her arms and flopped back onto the cushions. In all her dating experience, which wasn't much to begin with, no guy had ever stayed with her past two hours or so. Kagome made a mental note to change the record book to read '_Longest date with Kagome Higurashii: Suuichi, five hours, late Friday night. No note left, no goodbye, one night stand._'

She let her mind drift over the date. It would be a lazy morning. No doubt Yuuki would want to get out and--

Kagome sat up quickly. "Oh no, I totally forgot about Yuuki!" Kagome slapped her forehead, calling herself ten different kinds of idiot, and bit her tongue.

However, as if his name were a summons, the silver fox trotted into view and leapt up into Kagome's lap, where he proceeded to lick a dainty paw.

_You're sure she'll find it? _Youko asked. _It doesn't seem to be in a very convinient spot, you know._

Suuichi huffed. _**Of course I'm sure! She has to leave by that way anyways. And if it looks like she's going to overlook it, you just have to act like you have an interest in it.**_

Youko stopped washing his paw. _You mean _I_ have to do the dirty work?_

Suuichi rolled his eyes. _**It's hardly dirty.**_

_I beg to differ._

As Youko and Suuichi were talking to each other, Kagome was just staring at them. "Wait a minute!" she cried, shoving her hands in front of her and knocking Yuuki from his perch. "Since when did you get back in?"

Yuuki laid down, putting his hands between his paws, and sighed. Kagome glared, not liking his answer.

Wagging a finger at him, she said in a scolding tone "You have a lot of explaining to do, mister. This is the second time you've disappeared."

Youko raised an eyebrow. _You know, I think we should start distracting her from the fact that 'Yuuki' likes to disappear._

Suuichi nodded in agreement.

* * *

After giving Yuuki a small lecture, Kagome had decided to take Yuuki for a walk. She took a half hour out to shower and dress, then another five searching for her fox's leash. If she hadn't known any better, she would've sworn Yuuki had hidden it on purpose. 

By the time she located the offending object (which had mysteriously made it's way onto one of the higher shelves on the book case), Kagome almost didn't think the trup worth the effort. By that time, however, Yuuki was already waiting expectantly by the door.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming," Kagome breathed. "You'd think a fox wouldn't be so pushy, wouldn't you?" Kagome nearly jumped as the silver canine almost nodded in agreement. Almost. It was a proven fact that foxes couldn't understand complicated human words and meanings. They were dumber than a dolphin, for crying out loud! At least dolphins could under stand 'Go through the hoop', 'get the ball' and 'One of you perform a tail-walk while the other does a pirouette and a double backflip over a third that splashes the audience'.

Shaking the amusing image of dolphins dressed in tutu's doing Swan Lake from her head, Kagome strapped the leash to Yuuki's neck.

Standing, Kagome grabbed the keys and went to unlock the front door. Her hand paused, inches away from the bolt, when she noticed it wasn't locked. "Well, that solves the question of how Suuichi got out," she muttered to herself.

Kagome shook her head and opened the door forcefully. This time she made sure it didn't bounce back into the wall. She stepped onto the walkway and turned to shut and lock the door firmly behind her.

Yipping got her attention and Kagome turned to see Yuuki's attention wrapped up in something left on the front doorstep.

Nudging Yuuki away with her foot, Kagome's eyes landed on a flower lying over a note. And not just any flower. It was a perfect, bright red rose.

Kagome smiled and picked up the flora and piece of paper. Bringing the rose to her face, Kagome took in the delicate fragrance. She flipped the note between her fingers momentarily, toying with the idea of not opening the note and just letting it sit there.

Yuuki's bark shook Kagome from her inner debate. She glared at him with half a heart before giving into curiousity and opening the letter.

It was written in fairly neat handwriting that curled very prettily. It gave off a distinctly feminine feel to it, belying the fact that it was written by a man.

'Kagome,

I apologize for having to leave so quickly and unannounced. Unfortunately, after realizing what time it was, I fear that life came back into play and previous engagements called me away. I would have woken you up and said goodbye properly, but you were sleeping so peacefully that I didn't have the heart to wake you.

I would like you to know, however, that I greatly enjoyed our time together. Only a busy life keeps me from the dating scene on a regular basis, otherwise I would ask you out again in the near future.

I would like to see you again. Therefore, I present this. If I'm ever in the neighborhood again and am free, would if be too much to ask for a second date from a beautiful woman such as yourself?

Suuichi'

Kagome blushed at the last line in Suuichi's letter. Her mind immediately changed her previous statement in The Record Book of Kagome Higurashii's Love Life to '_Longest date with Kagome Higurashii: Suuichi, five hours, left a love note, possible more to come. Check back again for future updates._'

Kagome blinked and noticed a post script. It read:

'P.S- Your fox was waiting outside when I left this and the rose. I hope you don't mind my letting him back in.'

Kagome smiled prettily, twirling the rose between her fingers. Speaking in a somewhat dreamy tone, she addressed Yuuki. "How about we go on that walk now."

As they walked down the driveway to the sidewalk, Kagome added a post script of her own in the Record Book. '_Survey says: A definate keeper._'

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Note: Thanks to my friend Rose (Look, I used the right name! X3) and her guy friend for letting me use the rose thing. I really appreciate it!

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	24. Ch23: For Lack Of A Better Title

A/N: 'Kay, like Truth, this was written during class! ONE class period, to be exact. I'm so happy! I'm getting everything set up, things are pulling together, I'm recallling what I wrote before...it's a good day.

Alright, so, thank you for reviewing! I'm so happy people are sticking with me! This story is becoming more fun to write again, and I'd like to keep it that way to the end.

So it's going to end soon, right? That makes me sad. Like I said in Truth, this story will be one of my first written directly onto and finished. The sad part is that I will be sad to see it go.

So here's something every author wants to know...do you guys think there should be a sequal? I'm thinking it would be easier to make a second ACE story (titled something else, obviously), centering around Kagome more so. Maybe strain their relationship some...? (I'm so evil...X3) Right, so, here's the big question I want all of you to answer...

**_Should there be a sequal?_**

* * *

Two weeks passed quickly for Kagome and Yuuki. They both fell into a sort of routine during their time together. Kagome would wake up and get ready for work while Yuuki tried to sort out different emotions that plagued him. After showering and dressing, Kagome would fix breakfast for the two.

Driving to work, Kagome and Yuuki would do their best to help out the children that Kagome saw. Aki had slowly started to warm up to the young fox, and after his initial meeting, Yuuki and Shippo became quick friends. Kagome thought it helpful that the fox tested and tried the strength of the child's arm, helping it to become stronger while making him smile.

After work, which was becoming an increasingly fun time for the two, they would return to Kagome's townhome and go for a walk. They would spend hours just walking throught the park, down to the small lake about five miles out, and visiting different sights. Kagome still loved to see them, even if she had grown up around every tourist-y part of her home.

After returning from their somewhat exhausting walk, which helped keep Kagome in shape, the raven haired woman would pull out any work she needed to finish and laze around on the couch. Yuuki would sit by her feet or on her lap, depending on his mood, and keep the young woman company. If Kagome didn't have any work, she would pop a video into the player and watch movies all night.

She continued to see Genkai and get her training as well. She couldn't see them as much as she wanted, but she felt like she was getting an adequate amount of learning in. She was slowly becoming better at channeling her miko abilities and working with her bow. Genkai said she was impressed at the speed in which Kagome picked up on things.

Kagome was now able to not only channel to protect and heal herself (mostly, she was still having some trouble with that part), but she could also channel a bow of pure energy into her hands. Although, channeling arrows was still eluding her.

Due to her friends being busy, Kagome was glad Yuuki was there. He followed her around like a lost puppy pretty often. It was so adorable that Kagome had taken to carrying around a camera wherever she went, just so that she could take pictures of the adorable canine whenever a cute moment appeared.

She continued to think about her red-haired prince a lot, too. She had discovered that, even though she hadn't seen him since their date, he still kept an eye on her.

The first day that went horribly wrong, she had come home in a very miserable mood. However, before she could walk into her house, Yuuki had started to bark at something laying on the step. She had looked down to find a folded note and a single rose on the doorstep, echoing the morning after The Date.

Kagome had been completely confused, stooping to pick up the note. It simply read:

'_I heard you had a bad day. S._'

Kagome had felt a warmth filling her, and had immediately taken the rose in and added it with the other, dying one. She wasn't disturbed by the fact that Suuichi had been watching her. Instead, she felt safe and comforted. It wasn't like a certain co-worker of hers; Suuichi gave her space and seemed to read her when she had wanted him to back down once or twice during their conversations. The only thing she couldn't figure out that was linked to the red head was that the rose had lasted nearly a week before dying.

Kagome ignored it, filing it away in her mind as a new breed of flower that Suuichi had picked up somewhere.

Now, working on overflow from her job, Kagome was staring out the window into the night. Yuuki had disappeared somewhere after Kagome let him outside. She figured that, since he only ran away twice a month and always came back, there was no hurting anything in letting him out for one night. Besides, it wasn't like she could stop him.

Kagome shook her head and sighed. She was worried, yes, but thought the fox could take care of himself. She absolutely refused to reflect on how she had ended up with him.

She picked up her forgotten pencil and began to write her thoughts on her different patients. Presently she was working on Shippo's assessment. She was slightly worried about the young boy, but it wasn't his arm. She was just using that as an excuse to keep him visiting her, as the arm had healed quickly a week or two back.

Every time Kagome saw him, he had new injuries. The boy tried to hide them, but failed miserably. They were little hurts that could have been gotten on a playground, or rough housing with other children. What made Kagome think it was something else was the fact that, when he thought she wasn't looking, his eyes took on a dull tone to them. She didn't know what to do with him, so she had asked advice from Himitsu. The rowdy woman hadn't a clue what to do about it, either.

A shiver running up her back alerted Kagome of someone watching her. Her eyes flicked to the sliding doors across from her. She hoped, with all her being, it was neither her boss nor Mr. Naraku. Besides creeping her out, both men scared her to pieces. It was all she could do to keep her job and not quit on the spot.

But instead of a tall shadow, or even a dark ghost, silver greeted her. At first Kagome thought it might be Yuuki. Instead, she had to take a second look to find out it was the white haired demon she had met nearly a month ago.

He crouched to the ground, one hand keeping his balance while the other rested on his left knee. His golden eyes held faint curiousity in them as he stared at Kagome. The cool breeze ruffled his snowy locks, giving him an eerie look in the night. He wore the same outfit as the last time Kagome had seen him, and it made her breath hitch.

She almost had to pinch herself to make sure she wasn't seeing things from being too tired. Instead of giving herself an injury, she set her things aside and stood up. As she walked to the doors, she rationalized that she was not going to let him in because she was interested in him. She told herself she was only opening the doors because, if he wanted to, he could surely just break in and carry her away like the last time. Besides, she really _didn't_ want to replace anything.

She slid open one side. She stood there, in the doorway, and didn't move outside. The demon's eyes bored into hers, an ear twitching as the only movement either of them made. He didn't move at all when Kagome walked up to him and knelt in front of him.

He was lost in the muddy depths of her eyes. She was transfixed by his golden stare. It took an owl hooting, some time later, to snap both of them out of their stupor's.

The fox demon -_Youko Kurama_, Kagome reminded herself. She was surprised she could even remember his name- smiled slightly, a single fang gleaming in the dim lighting. "You look like you could use a break," he told her, his hoarse voice somehow sounding melodic to Kagome.

Kagome sat back slightly and pondered what he said. "And just how do you know I've been working a lot tonight?" she accused him.

Youko chuckled dryly. "The only people who are able to know I'm around are those whom I want to know. I've been watching you for some time."

Kagome glared at him. "You're sounding like a stalker, you know." Youko Kurama just kept staring and smiling. Kagome knew she needed a break, her eyes were screaming at her from all the reading she had been doing. "Fine, just give me a minute to put my stuff away."

Youko nodded and seemed to relax a fraction of an inch.

Kagome ran inside to pick up her pen and finish her sentence. As soon as she finished, she threw everything into her folder and stuffed the manila contraption into her bookshelf. It was a warm enough night, so Kagome didn't even stop to grab a jacket before walking back to the demon in her yard.

Kagome nodded to him, and Youko stood gracefully. Kagome stared up at him and tilted her head. "What now, Einstein?" she asked.

As an answer, Kagome was picked up quickly (causing her to squeak in an embarrassing manner) and the fox youkai leapt off towards the park.

Kagome kept telling herself she was only interested in learning about fox demons, and not the man himself. She was already seeing someone, after all.

* * *

Toguro watched as Himitsu bowed herself out. As soon as the door shut, Naraku Densetsu appeared seemingly out of thin air from a secluded corner in his office. A single look shared between the two connected each other's thoughts.

They had a way to set their plan in motion.

Naraku left to carry out the first part of The Plan, and Toguro watched him go warily. At the moment, Naraku could be left to his own devices. People worked at their best when they weren't hindered by other, lower beings when it came to their professions. Not the stupid human ones, either. Their _true _professions.

Toguro leaned back and picked up the phone. He quickly dialed a comrade from his old days as a rogue demon in the wilder parts of demon realm.

The lines clicked into life and a woman's voice, soft and silky, answered the other line. "Hello?"

Toguro smiled. "Hello, Doryoku..."

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Note: Once again, thank you to Rose and her guy friend for letting me use the flower scenes. Did you see? A ton of people love it! X3

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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	25. Ch24: Here We Go Again

A/N: Okay, not _quite _as long as I would've liked, but I don't want to go too much farther. I still want to get a few things in, but in order to do that I have to stop where I did and skip some more time. Am I moving too fast for the story? What do you guys think?

Anyways, I once again wrote this in one class period...that was cut to forty-five minutes instead of an hour and a half. I think I did pretty well, but if any of you see any mistakes, please let me know! I love having them pointed out to me! Like FuzzyPurpleWatermelons!

Don't worry if I didn't put your name on here. Next time I'm going to try and remember who reviewed and list everyone off as a thank you! I'll have to write it down, of course...

Alright, while I was looking at my reviews, I noticed a couple questions. I shall address them now, since it isn't against the rules.

**The Toguro Ultimatum:** Actually, to tell you the truth, I totally forgot about it. I'll have to remember to explain it in the next interlude-thingy

**Poor Shippo: **You'll find out soon enough...I'm not saying more than that. I'll give too much away.

Also, I'm just curious...how many of you like the thing that I'm having Suuichi do with the rose? Will you tell me?

Okay, enough rambeling! Read already!

* * *

Youko carried Kagome carefully to the park where they had first -officially, at least- met. The silver fox had leapt up into the same tree as before, using the same branches to cradle him and his precious burden in the tree. 

While Kagome was situating herself, being careful not to look down, Youko shook his head. _Precious? Where did that come from?_

Suuichi shrugged. **_I told you, you like her. At least your subconcious can admit it,_** he retorted.

Youko sniffed disdainfully. _That was a rhetorical question, you know._

Suuichi nodded. **_Oh, I know. However, how can I not answer when you won't face the facts?_**

Youko nearly growled. He caught himself in time, however, and looked to see that Kagome was still getting comfortable. He knew he ought to have helped her, but at the moment he was too busy bickering with his other.

_Alright then, admit that _you _have a thing for her and I'll admit that I _might_ like her._

The red headed adolescent laughed. **_Oh, I already know I'm attracted to her. Which makes it better for us; for once, we agree on a person to date!_**

_I can't help it if I'm picky,_ Youko barked.

**_You're beyond picky. Don't you remember that the only person we _ever _agreed on was that one girl when both of us were younger? And back then, I was too young to be thinking about girls like that. Thank you oh so much for corrupting me._**

Youko practically preened.

**_I didn't give that as a compliment, _**Suuichi pointed out.

_It was given as an insult, but taken as a compliment. Now shut up and let me pay attention to Kagome._

Youko ignored Suuichi's muttering in the background, content now that he and Kagome were settled into the tree branches.

The object of both men's thoughts had also been thinking along similar lines. The only problem with her was that she was a bit confused.

While she had been settling in, she had been arguing with herself. She knew that she was attracted to this odd demon, that was a given. No woman could call herself human if they didn't feel any sort of attraction to the fox. She also knew that she felt a sort of kinship to the young demon. It was almost like she knew him from somewhere, yet couldn't place it.

Of course, there was a problem. Everything she felt and thought about the demon with her, she felt about the red-head she had met only once. Of course, he let her know he was still around by leaving a rose on her  
doorstep every time she had a bad day.

So that was her dilemma. She not only had two guys to choose from, but she felt the same about both of them.

Kagome rolled her eyes as she settled in. _Woe is me,_ she told herself. _I'm actually going to have to get to know them! Poor, poor Kagome_...

She turned her attention to Youko. He wasn't paying attention to her, his eyes glossed over and distant. Kagome cleared her throat to pull him back to the present.

"So..." she began, "why have you kidnapped me this time?"

Youko chuckled slightly. "If I had kidnapped you, you would be bound and gagged. We would also be headed to Makai and a nice, dark place." The smile he gave her was predatorial.

Kagome shivered slightly. "Then why did you take me here? Again, I might add."

Youko shrugged. "What can I say? I like nature. This tree is old, and it reminds me of the ones back home." The silver haired man raised a clawed hand and caressed the trunk.

Kagome sat and watched, cradled in a little triangle near the body of the monstorous oak. She pulled her knees up to her chest and rested a chin on them, watching the interaction between demon and foliage.

She knew, from the little training she had in reading aura's, that there was something going on between man and foliage. It almost seemed like they were holding a conversation or something. Kagome knew it was not impossible for demons to have different elemental abilitie; after all, Kouga's speed was a branch of the air elements. Why couldn't a fox have plant abilities branching from earth?

Kurama snapped out of his stupor when Suuichi gave a large mental shove.

**_Stop hitting on the tree and start hitting on your girlfriend_**, he said, voice highly amused.

Youko pulled his hand back and replied _First of all, I wasn't flirting with a tree. And second, she's your girlfriend_.

Suuichi made a tsk-ing sound. **_And the fact that we're the same person doesn't add into the fact that if she's my girlfriend, she's also yours?_**

Youko shook his head.

"Sorry?" Kagome asked. "Did I do something?"

Youko called himself twenty kinds of fool for forgetting he was entertaining someone at the moment. "No, I was just thinking about something."

"Oh?"

Youko cast his mind out for a topic that would explain shaking his head. However, the one he grasped and voiced wasn't the best choice for the kind of company he was with. "I was just thinking that humans are idiotic creatures," he said without thinking.

Kagome glared. "Really? And the fact that you're sitting with one doesn't count?"

Kurama realised his mistake and mentally kicked himself.

**_Smooth, real smooth. Why don't you just throw her off a building while your at it?_**

Youko told Suuichi to go to hell, then worked on repairing the damage. He couldn't help but feel like it was going to be a long, painful night.

* * *

End Chapter

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Note: Here's another thank you to Rose and her friend. I'm going to do this every time I use their idea (which actually happened) because I owe them so much for letting me use it! It wouldn't have worked out otherwise.

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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	26. Ch25: Interlude I

A/N: More typing in class. Maybe it should just be a writer's workshop for people to work on their fanfics! I'd get more done that way, at least...

Okay, so a lot of you are going to kill me about now for this chapter. It's an interlude, three parts, with two POV's with the characters. I'm going to start getting to the climax of the story, but I have to keep reminding myself to keep it slow and steady.

...Fat chance.

Ah well, at least I'm trying.

Okay, so like I said last time, I'm going to thank every reviewer who reviewed my last chapter!

**Kurama'sFoxyMiko, kagomente, BluesDaughter, IchikoKitsuneKoumori, MoonFace01, FuzzyPurpleWatermelons (Thanks also for catching mistakes! Again! X3), atamagaokashii Ookami, inukuramaRmine, o0darkangel0o, in luv with cold hearted guys, Bloodcherry, Black Hands, SoarMoreFlyHigher, regretfully-yours-Cassy-chan, **and** animebook fan.**

Thanks so much people! It makes me smile. X3

* * *

Shippo shivered. Someone was talking about him. He knew it was true; the only time he felt like that was when someone was saying or planning something negative about him. 

He uncurled from his position on the bed. Kanna and Chinchou were still sleeping peacefully after the young girl had awoken, whimpering from a gruesome nightmare. She had been having a lot of her nightmares lately, and it was worrying the two young boys. Her last bout of creepy dreams that always seemed to come true, not including the slew that were plaguing her at the moment, was two years ago. It was right before Chin-chan had slipped while repairing Doryoku's roof and had nearly fallen to his death if Kanna and Shippo hadn't broken his fall.

And now that they were back, the young girl refused to talk about them. She was tight-lipped at the moment. Shippo and Chinchou had silently agreed to give her a little bit of time to come to terms with whatever she saw before they persuaded her to tell them about it.

Shippo secretly believed it was something to do with their guardian and one of the kids, but that was just him. Chinchou believed it was something else, something unrelated to them.

Staring at the ceiling, Shippo reflected on his day. He had snuck out (covered by his two siblings) and visited Mrs. Higurashii again. He knew he didn't have to continue going to see her, but it was a little bit of light in the darkness of his life. His visits were made even more enjoyable because of the fact that he got to speak to one of his own kind.

Shippo looked up to Youko more than he let on. That the old fox demon was able to live with a human and protect her while still keeping his secret was a feat that Shippo could only dream of emulating.

The kitsune played with Shippo and they discussed their race together when Kagome left the room for some reason or another. The fox was surprisingly sympathetic for such a powerful being, and Shippo had long ago lost his fear of the youkai.

Kagome continued to be sympathetic and kind. Shippo knew she knew there was something wrong, something going on in the background that the little fox hid. She delicately prodded at his past, dropping little hints that he could talk to her when he was feeling down or depressed. She was very good at what she did; most of the time Shippo didn't even realize she wasprying into his life. She even knew when to tactfully back out. Youko remained oblivious, however, and that hurt a lot more than he thought it would.

But no matter how kind Kagome seemed, no matter how much Shippo just wanted to spill everything and cry in her arms that reminded him so much of his long dead mothers, he knew he couldn't.

Adults, no matter what kind of mask they put on, lied.

They broke their promises.

And that knowledge hurt more than anything.

* * *

A dark alleyway gave way to a dimly lit street. A lone dog barked defience before a shout and a dull thud shut the mutt up. A small whine was heard before attention was turned elsewhere. 

He didn't understand why _he_ had to do the dirty work. Yes, he hadn't contacted the wench that kept charge of the kid he was supposed to get, but that didn't mean he should be stuck with skulking around the night in a run-down street.

The fact that it was his boss and love rival who ordered it did nothing to soothe Naraku's temper.

No, he was stuck mucking about this dead end. He grumbled as he stealthily approached the house he was targeting. The only lights on in the entire dwelling were not bright at all and barely registered in Naraku's mind. He silently padded up the walkway and approached the door, knocking once, loudly, as per prior agreement.

He shifted as he waited for the resident to answer the door. His eyes flashed once in anger and annoyance at being kept waiting before his face was once again a cool mask of indifference. It was only to the woman's credit that the door opened before he got really pissed off.

"Can I help you?" she asked. The chain was still attatched, leaving mere inches for Naraku to look upon the shadowed face.

Holding back a sneer, he asked "You are Doryoku, are you not?" A slight darkening and lightening of the shadows was the only indication that the wench nodded. "I am here to collect our payment."

He growled in frustration as the door was closed. Chains clinked together and locks were heard being undone. The door creaked open a moment later, opening to a very dark and (if it had been anyone other than Naraku) very creepy corridor. "Come in, come in. You are a bit earlier than I anticipated, but never mind. He is upstairs with those other _things_ he protects. It shouldn't be too much trouble for you, hm?"

Naraku nodded and shoved his way forward. "Yes, yes. I trust you did as asked? I don't want to have to dock your payment because of...damaged goods."

Doryoku waved a hang casually. "Of course. I made sure they ate everything, as instructed. What, do you think I'm incompetent?"

Naraku bit back a sarcastic reply and brushed past her. "Then I will collect what is due and you will get your payment tomorrow or the day after."

"Don't you forget, you or that bastard you work with, that I will go to the police if I don't get what's mine in two days. I have plenty of evidence to hold everything against you, regardless of who commited it in the first place."

Naraku sneered and ignored the comment. She would get her due... The not-quite-whole demon's eyes glittered maliciously. Yes, she would get what she deserved very soon.

* * *

Shippo froze as he heard the squeaking of the stairs. He immediately shut his eyes, evening out his breathing to give the illusion of sleep. He began to tremble and had to tighten his muscles to hide the motion. His guardian _never_ went up to their room if she could help it. They hadn't done anything wrong that he knew of, so why was she walking up the stairs? 

A creaking door opened and a little sliver of light filled the room. It landed on Kanna's face; Shippo held his breath to see if his little sister would awaken. Not even an eyelid fluttered.

Creaking floorboards brought a chill of fear down Shippo's spine. Something was dreadfully wrong...why hadn't Kanna woken when the light shined in her face? They didn't have any electricity in the attic, which lead to all of them being unable to sleep in even the most dimly lit room.

Shippo tried to force himself to relax. It wouldn't do for Doryoku to see that he was awake. If none of the others showed signs of being aware, it would be on his head if he didn't follow suit.

All that was thrown out the window when he caught a glimpse of the shadow.

It was too tall to be a woman.

It was to broad to be a woman.

It was most definately _not _a woman.

Throwing caution to the wind, Shippo sat up and screamed. At least, he tried to. Something was sticking in his throat, preventing even the smallest peep from escaping his lips.

Panicking, Shippo barely heard the chuckle that came from the looming shadow. "Come come, now, you should know that little boys ought to behave. Otherwise they'll be in big trouble with their parents," the gravely voice mocked.

Shippo scrambled back as a hand lunged for him. Kicking out, the hand recoiled and a hiss was heard.

Shippo didn't take a moment to spare. He began to desperately shake his brother and sister, wondering why they wouldn't wake. He longed to have his voice back, loud and strong. He wanted to shout at them, tell them there was a stranger trying to attack them.

Despite his efforts, his only remaining family stayed deep in their slumber.

A painful wrentch at his shoulder pulled Shippo back forcefully. The grip was like steel, biting into his arm and causing tears to prick at his eyes.

Shippo silently screamed as the voice spoke to him again. "You are a bad boy. Youshould to be punished, you should. Your guardian agreed that you have been a bad influence on her precious children. You are no longer wanted here. I've come to take you to your new home." A dry chuckle followed.

Fear gripped Shippo's tiny mind. They were taking him away? Away from the only family he had left? Why?

Shippo tried to beg the man to give him a chance. He tried to say he would do anything to stay with Kanna and Chin-chan. He silently cried at Kanna and Chinchou to wake up, to help him get out of this mess like so many other times.

But nobody heard him. His cries went unanswered, his voice refused to cooperate.

He was all alone.

A large object hit Shippo in the back of the head and the young fox saw stars. He dimly felt the man pick him up before darkness swallowed him.

It would be some time before Kanna woke again from a nightmare where only one of her brothers was there to comfort her.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	27. Ch26: And Then There Was Light

A/N: This is really wierd, sitting during lunch and finishing this chapter. Ah well, it's wierder typing on a laptop in the library during lunch and having to work HTML coding instead of just typing on fanficton. So, now that you know I'm working a first here, maybe you'll be more forgiving as to the little mistakes I'm making and let me know.

It's a crappy laptop anyways. Half the numbers don't work, the 'E' key has to be slammed down on, and the spacebar has to be pressed a couple times before it registers. That's what you get in school, I guess.

Okay, so I got a chapter out. Yay! Typed in a record forty-nine minutes, not including my note. Which, by the way, is straying from everything I was going to type.

So, a couple little notes. I don't remember everything I was going to say, so let's start with this. A lot of people are worried about Shippo, so I put a little extra bit on the end of this chapter that deals with him again. There's also more fluff here with Youko and Kag, and...I don't remember the rest. I swear, I had a whole list of things to say!

I guess I'm just rambling now. Before I forget, **thanks a million reviewers! I would name you, but the bell just rung and I've got to actually work now!** So, I guess I'll finish up (as I've just realized I'm breaking the shift key...or was it like that when I got it?) so I'll let you guys who actually read my little inserts get to reading this new chapter. And guess what? It's reaching the biggest scene I'll ever write for this thing! Gasp!

* * *

Youko, finally able to smooth things over with Kagome (after insulting her many times and nearly driving her off in the process), shifted slightly from his position. He still couldn't believe his luck.

They had talked much like when Suuichi and Kagome had. His other kept commenting on deja vu. Kagome seemed really comfortable, but every once and a while she would get this wierd look on her face. Like she had to make a huge decision in a short time that was already nagging at her.

They had sat up just talking for hours. The sun hadn't quite found itself up to rising, yet it couldn't have been too far off. Somehow, Kagome had fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation. Which led to her, in some way that still eluded the young fox, she had ended up curled up against his chest. Asleep.

So now he was sitting, content for the moment, contemplating the young miko in his arms.

She hadn't gone to that many lessons after the initial week or so. Apparently her job had just increased in importance, for not only did she have that kit to worry about, but she also had some trouble with the girl in the wheel chair. He could tell, even when he was in fox form, that she was very worried about her two patients.

Also, it didn't help that he was making things difficult in his tiny shape. He was a picky eater by nature, and in order to pay for food, Kagome had to put in more hours at work. She also had to find time to take him outside for a walk (which sounded wrong to his ears), which led to more time being taken up. After that whole fiasco with the brother and him trashing the place over the pizza, he was taken out at _least _once a day.

Which reminded him, he hadn't seen Souta in a while. It was probably due to the fact that 'Yuuki' was traveling to work with his mistress and didn't need to be babysat. Either way, Youko kind of missed the freshman.

Kagome sighed and shifted in her sleep, mumbling incoherantly. Youko shifted his grip to accomidate her and picked up his train of thought.

They had only been at Kagome's for little over a month and a half. Maybe two, Youko had lost track. Either way, it was really odd to find a growing soft spot in both the cold hearted demon and his human half for the little priestess-in-training. It scared Youko some, who had never had anything other than a lover before in his entire life, and yet...it felt right. Perfect, even. Like they were meant for each other.

**_Now you're just getting mushy. I thought the great fox theif didn't do sentimental, _**Suuichi commented in the back of his mind.

Youko sniffed. _I am not being a softy. I'm just thinking aloud._

Suuichi shrugged. _**Well, I hate to break up this little reverie you've gotten yourself into, but the sun is about to rise. Unless you want Kagome to find out that Yuuki is Youko, and have to explain everything in about ten seconds before losing any chance we have with her, I suggest we take her back home.**_

Youko sighed and nodded. He really didn't want to think about Kagome's actions if she found out their secret. In the short time he had known her, Kagome had proven herself to be impulsive and rash when her anger got the better of her.

Using a small amount of spirit energy from the precious little he could dig up, Youko had the tree bend over and the branch deposit him and his precious burden onto the ground.

He settled Kagome into his arms, carrying her bridal style. He tried to ignore the fact that his cheeks colored slightly when Kagome tucked her head under his chin.

Using all the stealth he had gained while theiving in the dark depths of Makai, Youko smoothly made his way back to Kagome's townhome. Since humans loved to get up and act like a disturbed hornet's nest in the early morning, Youko was forced to lengthen the return trip slightly by migrating from shadow to shadow. It was entertaining for the silvery demon to see the people jump at his outline. Humans were so gullible.

The immediate problem, after arriving in front of the house, was opening a locked door one-handed. Of course, being the skilled person he was, Youko rose to the challenge and had said door unlocked and opened in record time.

He walked through the doorway and kicked the door shut behind him, wincing as it shut louder than he had intended. Luckily for him, Kagome was out like a light and didn't even twitch.

Youko made his way over to the staircase and walked up to Kagome's bedroom. He set her down on her bed gently, pausing to brush a strand of her ebony hair from her face. Much as he would've liked to just lay down next to her, Youko thought that an unwise decision for the moment. Instead, he leaned down and placed a chaste kiss against her lips before making his way down to the living room couch.

_**That was pretty restrained for you. Are you feeling alright? **_Suuichi's voice was highly amused.

_Stuff it. _Youko settled into the couch. _Besides, there's not much I can do when she's asleep, _he added.

Suuichi wrinkled his nose. _**Pervert.**_

Youko smirked and closed his eyes. He was asleep by the time the first rays of the sun topped the treeline and initiated the transformation that was becoming a routine to the two beings.

* * *

Shippo's breathing quickened. He slowly woke up from his unconcious state and immediately wished he could just drop off again. His head was killing him, his arms were throbbing, he couldn't feel his feet...

_Where am I? _he asked himself. It didn't feel like his house, nor the bed that he shared with his two siblings. _What happened?_

The young demon tried to sit up, but pain shot through his spine and he fell back with a yelp. He tried to recall what had occured the night before. A misty fog began lifting, and his eyes widened (at least, he thought they did. It was so dark he couldn't tell whether his eyes were actually open or not) as he remembered the scary man and being kidnapped from his room.

His bit back a sob. Big boys didn't cry, even if this was their first time ever being completely alone somewhere. No, he remembered that Kanna never shed a tear whenever she returned from the place that Doryoku sent her. He remembered that Chinchou hadn't even had glossy eyes after falling off of the roof. There was no way he would ever be weaker than them when he was the one to always have it easier.

He tried to move his arms and found they were tied behind his back. That explained the throbbing, then. He tried to kick his legs. They wouldn't respond, and that made him nervous. He held his cool, however. It wouldn't be a good idea to panic until all of his options were used up and he really couldn't get out of the situation by himself.

He tried sitting up again. This time he was able to, although the world spun violently in the process. He felt bile rising in his throat and had to take a moment to swallow the urge to throw up. He couldn't tell if he was bleeding or not, and didn't care to find out. He couldn't feel any dried liquids on any part of his anatomy, so he could assume he wasn't injured enough to have bled.

He wondered why he was taken. _What did the man have to gain by this?_ he wondered. He also wondered why his siblings wouldn't wake up, and hoped to every diety he could think of that they were safe.

He heard sounds coming from behind him. A stream of light flicked on, and he heard a door being open. Bright light flooded into the room and nearly blinded him. As he squinted, he heard that dry chuckle again.

"Well, well, well. The guest of honor has awakened. Tell me, little boy, are you afraid?" The voice promised pain if answered wrongly.

Shippo didn't bother even _trying_ to answer the voice. His vocal cords wouldn't work anyway. All he could do was wish desperately that someone would notice he disappeared. He hoped someone would come. It was the only thing keeping him somewhat calm.

* * *

End chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	28. Ch27: Unpleasant Tidings

A/N: Alright, this isa good thing, right? Getting out a chapter the next day? What can I say, I had nothing to do in class.

Alright, so I was going to say this yesterday, but I didn't get a chance to. I seem to be getting pretty angsty with my last few chapters, eh? Do you think that's a little much? Ah well, I feel like this story needs a bit of darkness. It's been a little too happy-go-lucky until now, so it's time for a little change in tone. Just a bit; it'll get better towards the very end.

Okay, so I don't have any Youko/Suuichi convo's in this chapter. Why? Because I don't want to write him. For future reference, I don't plan on concentrating on Yuuki a lot for the next chapter or two. Mostly it's going to be Kagome and her situation.

Alright, so anyone want to guess on how this is going to end? I'd like to know what you people think, if you're willing to share. You never know, it may spark an idea for me.

Okay, last thing again is thanks to my reviewers. I appreciate it, and I probably should've waited for other people to have a chance at reviewing before I turned out this chapter. Ah well, I want it up. I'm sure you guys do, too.

Now, on with the chapter!

* * *

Kagome sighed and stretched lazily. She cracked open an eye slightly, was nearly blinded by the sunlight flooding her room, and quickly shut it again. She snuggled back into her soft, warm bed, refusing to wake up and face the day quite yet. She pulled her comforter tighter around her shoulders and sighed as she burrowed deeper into her pillow...then shot upright and nearly screamed.

"How in the world did I get back here?" she said to no one in particular. "The last thing I remember was falling asleep in the tree..." she trailed off, recalling that she had fallen asleep against a demon in the middle of the park. Her cheeks flushed as she thought about the fox, and she quickly shook her head. Her mind would not linger on the demon. Even if that demon was hot, adorable, had the cutest ears...

Kagome practically slapped herself. "And I thought I was already seeing someone," she muttered. Now that she was fully awake and wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, Kagome slowly got out of her bed and noticed she was still fully dressed. "Great, now I get to do ironing later." She glared at the offending cloth before moving to her dresser to change.

Minutes later, she was pulling her hair back into a makeshift bun at the base of her neck. She made her way down to the living room and noticed Yuuki was still asleep. "Lucky fox, able to fall asleep and stay asleep..." She sighed.

Walking to the kitchen, she began to fix a quick breakfast. She was lucky that each night she had been visited by a good looking guy (-_or demon_, she reminded herself) it was a weekend night or one of her days off. She didn't think she would be able to keep hold of her job if she had met them otherwise.

Kagome began to rummage through the cupboards and various nooks where she had horded food. Nothing looked particularly interesting to her, so she slammed the last door shut with annoyance.

Turning back to the couch with its sleeping occupant, she walked over to it. Standing over Yuuki, her hands on her hips, she waited for him to wake up. When he didn't, she poked him.

He jumped awake and Kagome swore he was glaring at her. He seemed to say 'I don't like being poked, go away'. Kagome stood her ground, however, knowing the way to get herself on his good side again. "Alright, you. We're going out to eat for lunch today. There's absolutely nothing to eat here and I'm hungry, so if you want to go, you had better be by the door by the time I'm ready to leave."

Yuuki stared at her a moment more before picking himself up. Stretching in a very adorable manner, he leapt down from the couch and picked his way delicately to the door. During the process, Kagome couldn't help but think he looked more like a cat than any canine. She hid a smile behind her hand.

She followed her companion to the door and grabbed his leash. She was amazed when he waited patiently for her to attach it to his collar; usually they had a little war over getting the leash hooked to him. Shrugging it off as both parties lacking sleep, Kagome opened the door and walked out.

Neither parties noticed themselves being watched.

* * *

The rest of Kagome's day off of work was spent window shopping with Yuuki. She hadn't felt like doing anything that day, so she wandered around as long as possible before both were to tired to hold themselves up. After a quick nap for the two in the park -Kagome had unconciously picked the tree where she had been sleeping the night before- she had bought them take-out Chinese for dinner. They ate in a comfortable silence before retiring for the night. 

Now, Kagome was once again at work. She had just finished her session with Aki, and was waiting with Himitsu for her next patient. Himitsu was chattering away, allowing Kagome to space out her co-worker.

Yuuki sat in her lap, curled up in a small, furry white ball. He had been acting unnaturally behaved for the past thirty-six hours, and Kagome was wondering if he might be ill.

Himitsu's voice stopped short, and Kagome blinked. "What, sorry? I wasn't paying attention."

Himitsu looked pointedly at her friend. "You haven't been listening at all today. What's on your mind? You're almost never this preoccupied at work. Usually _I'm _the one who has to tell you to take a breather."

Kagome sighed. She seemed to be doing that quite often lately. "It's nothing, really. A stupid thing. Not a big deal."

"It is a big deal if you're this worked up about it." Himi's stare told Kagome that she wouldn't get out of telling so easily. "Talk."

Kagome fidgeted slightly. "Alright, but you can't tell anyone yet." Himitsu nodded. "Okay, you remember Suuichi, right?" Another nod. "Well, I like him. A lot. He's really fun, we have a lot in common, he's so sweet..."

"So what's the problem?"

The raven-haired girl worried her bottom lip slightly. "The problem is, I feel the same way about another person I've met. I've seen him more than Suuichi, but Suuichi has left me notes and roses when I've had a bad day. Then again, this other guy is almost god-like in his actions, and he did come back to see me. I haven't seen Suuichi since our date." Her posture slouched slightly. "I'm worried that I've got two guys that I like, and I can't choose between them. It's stupid that I'm acting like this when I've only seen either of them once or twice, but I always get this feeling that I know them. That they're closer than I think they are. Stupid, right?" She laughed nervously and looked at her friend.

Himitsu's face was uncharacteristically serious. "You know, Kag, I've never met a guy where I've felt like that. I don't think I will for a long time, but it seems to me like it's love at first sight."

Kagome laughed. "Yeah, right. Can you even imagine me acting like that? I mean, my friends have been trying to hook me up with guys ever since high school. I've hardly ever been on dates, either; I just don't have the time for the kind of commitment it takes to keep a relationship going."

Himitsu put an arm around Kagome's shoulders and she smiled. "Kags, girl, you're falling head over heels for both of these men. And because you basically met them on your own, there's a factor in there you're not considering. It's the fact that you _chose_ to date Suuichi, you _chose_ to date this mystery guy. And that, my friend, is a bigger factor than anything else in a relationship. That and getting along with them, of course."

Kagome shook her head. "Right, that still doesn't explain how I'm going to choose between them."

Himitsu's face became serious again. "Who says you have to choose?"

Kagome elbowed Himi before joining her friend in laughing. "Himi, that's exactly what I'd expect from you."

"Of course it is. But really, all you have to do is wait and see which one makes a mistake first. Then dump him and go for the other one completely."

"Whatever you say, Doctor."

"And don't you forget it!"

Neither girls noticed that Yuuki had been hanging onto every one of their words.

* * *

Kagome had been worried when Shippo didn't appear for his appointment, but her fears were pushed aside when Himitsu informed her that his guardian had canceled the sessions. "He's apparently spending too much time here and not enough time with his family," Himitsu had informed her. It didn't completely put aside a nagging feeling that something was terribly wrong, but Kagome ignored it until she could find sufficiant proof something was wrong. 

The door to her home was opened that night with a tired hand. As soon as he had gotten outside, Yuuki had began to make trouble for Kagome again. She had to chase him over half of the town before she caught up to him. By then, it was nearly supper time, and so she had stopped and picked up dinner for the two. After that, Yuuki had gotten away from her yet again and Kagome was taken on an impromptu tour of the city once more.

Kagome stepped inside her house and closed the door behind her. She knelt down to unlatch Yuuki's leash, and then proceeded to put her things away. She hadn't taken more than a step towards the living room before she was stopped by a growl.

Looking at Yuuki, with his hackles raised in a feral snarl, Kagome raised her eyebrow. "Hey, what's gotten into you?" She followed his line of sight to the living room. Her eyes widened considerably.

Nothing was out of place. Rather, what got her attention was the neat package sitting on the table at the end of the couch. Walking over to pick it up, and ignoring Yuuki's warning, Kagome scooped it into her hands and examined the object. There was no address to her or from the mystery person, and only her name was written on the front in a very feminine hand. She proceeded to open the large envelope.

She felt a small disk and pulled it out. A sheet of paper fell to the floor and she bent to pick that up as well. Opening the note, she read the simple sentence.

_Enjoy the show, Kagome._

That was it. No signature, no ending. Just the note.

Her feelings of dread came back full force as she walked to her DVD player and inserted the disk. After pressing play and backing up to get a better view, Kagome's sight was filled with a picture of Naraku. Kagome sat down on the couch, hard.

"Hello Kagome. You may already be wondering what is going on. Why did you get this little message? Well, let me tell you."

"I am here representing the interest of both myself and my esteemed partner. Our interest, as you might or might not have guessed, is you. Body, mind and soul. Now, normally I would try one of my normal advances to get you to be mine. You know what I'm talking about."

"Well, my partner convinced me to take an alternate route in our aquiring of yourself. So, here I am, giving you our invitation. We will be at the warehouse across the street from our working place. We will be waiting for you at ten o' clock, sharp. We expect you there."

"I'm sure that you are now thinking we are crazy to try and get you to meet us. You are probably considering going to the police. Don't." Naraku's face took on a dangerous glint. "If you tell anyone about this message, or don't meet us...well, we have a little insurance."

Kagome nearly cried when the camera turned to the innocent boy in the room. She immediately recognized Shippo by his red hair; it was the only way she could, due to how injured he was. She could hardly keep her eyes on him. Only the thought that he was suffering because of her kept her gaze on the screen.

The scene switched back to Naraku. "We look forward to meeting you." The screen went blank.

* * *

End Chapter

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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	29. Ch28: Interlude II

A/N: Ugh. This is getting so close to the end, and just when I'm actually enjoying writing it!

Well, you readers must be happy. It's been three days, and I've updated each day! Alas, tomorrow I won't have any typing time. Tests and the like, and I can't write at home because I don't have time there. So, bad news is that I probably won't get a chance to update until Tuesday or so. Maybe Monday, if I'm really lucky.

Alright, this chapter is probably going to be one of the darkest in my story. It starts out right away with Shippo...which I'll explain in a minute. Then I have a scene at Doryoku's house to brush up a few things and let you guys now what's going on with that side of the story.

Alright, I need to brighten this up some, right? Well, I'll just have to fix in some humor in a couple chapters later in the story.

About the Shippo scene now. It will probably be confusing, but I'll take a minute to explain my logic.

Okay, kids tend to have a wierd way of viewing the world. It has been according to my experience that time perception changes as you age. That is to say, days are really _really _long when you're a young child and they seem to shorten as you become an adult. So, in accordance to that philosophy, I've written a skewed version of what Shippo's going through. If it still confuses you, I'll take a while to explain in my story what happens. If it's _still_ confusing you after that...well, I'll meet that obstacle when I come to it.

Now, do any of you have any requests for Kagome to go through when meeting her villains? How about Yuuki, since the Knight In Shining Armor _has_ to be a part of the final battle. Any? I will consider them all from every angle before adding or discarding them. If I add them, I'll give you credit. If I don't use them, I'll still thank you for giving me it and possibly even let you know if it sparks some inspiration in me.

Anyways, this chapter is a bit short and dark (like I mentioned before), but I'm sure you're all eager to read it. So enough jabbering at you! Read!

* * *

Shippo whimpered. He had long ago decided that it wasn't worth getting hurt worse by staying silent. If he could lift his punishment just a little bit, that would be better than being driven to the brink of death on a regular basis. 

He had been in the same cell he woke up for for years. He was an old man now, already tired of life and wanting to just drop off into the sweet darkness that oblivion would bring. To just feel no more pain, to be at peace for once in his life. Was it too much to ask, when he had suffered for so long?

They only brought him out of the cell once a year. That was just to feed him and let him use the restroom. It was long since past when he had seen his captors faces, and as he aged, they stayed the same.

How he could age so quickly as a demon and only have to be fed once a year, while his kidnappers didn't change at all was beyond Shippo's limited comprehension. He hadn't had a chance to finish school, of course. They took him before he could finish.

He had long since given up hope of rescue. So many years. All in darkness or false lighting, only bright when they came for him. He had long ago learned not to expect any help whatsoever, learned to fear the light appearing.

Darkness was his friend. That was all there was to it. In the darkness, he could drift off. He could pretend he was a young child laying in his bedroom at Doryoku's house. He could pretend that his guardian really did love them, himself and both of his siblings. He could pretend that they were all loved, they were just a normal family with a loving caretaker. He could drift off and pretend that Kagome was their mother, with her nurturing nature and kind eyes always watching over them, making sure no harm came to them.

He could pretend he was still a part of his real family, that his dad hadn't broken his promise and gone out that night. That he came back, with his mother. They would be sitting and having dinner, Shippo visiting them and telling them about his newest discoveries in the world of college. Or maybe he would have gone straight to the working field, providing for his new bride and their family-to-be. He would never know.

The light brought terror with it. With the light came the scary men with their axes and hammers. They would hammer him away until he was flatter than a sheet of paper. Then they would cut him into the tiniest of pieces, so small that he shifted in a million directions at the slightest breeze. They would scatter him in a cold breeze to drift over the world and never be whole again.

Or they would come with false stories, trying to soothe him over the decades. But they lied. They told him he would get a new mother, that they would find his father and take him to see the parent he so longed for. Shippo had believed them in the first few months, but now he knew better.

They enjoyed tormenting him. They had been doing so for nearly a century. They would never stop teasing him, trying to bring his hopes up so that he would be brought cruelly back to reality as soon as they told him they weren't telling the truth.

But they didn't know him. They didn't know he knew adults never told the truth. His father had promised he would go out on that stormy night, that he was only going to pick up his mother and would be back before Shippo knew it. But he hadn't come back. He had disappeared and he had lied to his young son.

No, nobody would ever come for him. His jailors were lying to him. They never told him the truth, telling him falseties that confused him and made him wish he knew what they were talking about.

The only peice of truth they told him was that he was being punished. After such a long time in the darkness, Shippo had long ago figured out that he was being punished, that he deserved all that had happened and was happening to him.

This was his price for making his mommy fight with his daddy. This was the payment for begging his father to go find her again and making him promise to return when Shippo knew he wouldn't. This was what he paid for all of the happy times he had with Kanna and Chinchou, all the kindness shown to him from his teachers and Mrs. Higurashii at the hospital.

Deep in his heart, he knew he was never meant to be happy. He was never meant to find the family he had in Kanna and Chin-chan.

This was what he deserved.

* * *

Kanna stared in front of her, confused and angry. There were people rushing about the house, scouring the floors in search of a person who wasn't there. They had taken Chinchou away from her, saying they needed to talk and that he would be back before she knew it. That had been a good while ago, before they had given her a sandwhich but after she had calmed down from her dream. 

She was still nibbling her little meal, thinking about what was going on. They were asking so many questions, and none of them seemed to make sense to her. They kept asking her if Doryoku had ever hit her (to which she had lied and said no), what had happened when she went with those men that Doryoku sent her with (she didn't tell them anything; she didn't like thinking about it), how she lived like in her home.

They asked nothing to do with her missing brother, Shippo. And that was supposed to be the sole reason they were there.

After calming down, Kanna and Chin-chan had looked everywhere for their missing sibling. They had looked high and low, in every place imagionable. Even some places that would be impossible for a boy like him to hide in. They hadn't found even his shadow.

The next thing the two children had done was telephone the police. The would know what to do, and Doryoku wouldn't hurt them because Shippo was one of her kids. They had called to file a missing persons report, just like how they had learned to do it in school.

The police had swarmed into their house, waking their sleeping guardian and began to bombard her with questions. Some of them Doryoku couldn't answer, which lead to more questions. Kanna shivered as she recalled the one time the policeman turned his back on her, Doryoku had given her and Chinchou a venomous glare. That was where things had started getting wierd.

They had started making a big fuss over something found in Doryoku's bedroom. They had wrestled her to the ground as she tried to flee, cuffing her hands behind her back and dragging her to another room. Kanna had become upset and started to cry. Chin-chan placed a comforting arm around his sister's shoulder while they police took them to their attic bedroom.

Then came the sandwhich and the promise that Chinchou would be back soon. They had just left her alone in the attic, and the only reason she wasn't panicking like she normally would was because she had faith that Shippo was alright, would be found, and that Chin-chan was somewhere in the house still.

Kanna polished off her little meal and began to think. Since the police weren't asking any questions to help her find her missing brother, Kanna figured that she and Chinchou would just have to go looking themselves. The could start with people that Shippo had talked about non-stop whenever he came back to them, and the first person she could think of was that Mrs. Higurashii. Shippo had loved telling them about the kind woman.

Nodding, Kanna decided. She would tell Chin-chan that they should go see this Mrs. Higurashii. They would tell her that her brother had gone missing, and if she knew what had happened to him. Then it would only be a matter of looking in the right places.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	30. Ch29: Decisions

A/N: Well, I said it would be a little while until I updated, right? I found time today, though. It took me a while to get started, but I'm doing better.

Alright, here's the scoop. I'm thinking there are about eight chapters left in this story, definately no more than ten. That's depressing, ne?

While I was writing this, I tried to keep it a little bit lighter than the last chapter. That one was _really _dark for this story. I'll try to follow that pattern for the rest of the story, keeping it light, I mean.

Okay, so I think that's all I wanted to say, really. Don't want to keep you from this story for long. So, on with your reading.

* * *

Kagome sat on the couch, her head in her hands. She couldn't believe what had happened. Yuuki was trying to comfort her, having seen the video about his friend. Sunset had occured hours before. Kagome hadn't been able to even think about sleeping. 

She really didn't know what to do. She didn't want anyone to be hurt by her decisions, yet she would be forced to make one that effected countless people. Everyone Shippo knew, everyone she knew..._Hell, even everyone Yuuki knows will be effected, _ she thought.

Sighing, Kagome began speaking her thoughts aloud to Yuuki. "If I don't go to that warehouse tonight, Shippo will get hurt. He's completely innocent in this, it's only because of associating with me that he was taken. If I go to the police, he still gets hurt. If I try to tell Souta, Sango, or any of my other friends, he's still screwed."

"On the other hand, if I go, that's no garuntee that they'll let him go. They can just be saying that until they get me, and then can still turn around and break their oath. I wouldn't put it past Naraku, and whoever he's working with has got to be at least as bad if not worse. If I go, I'm stuck there. I most likely won't be able to get out. Again, if I go, I'm screwed."

"So, if I go, I'm done for. If I don't, Shippo's as good as dead. My hands appear to be completely tied in this situation." Kagome lifted her head and stared at Yuuki (who was sitting with his head on her lap). "What should I do? I won't say I'm not afraid. I'm terrified of what can happen. But if I don't go, I'll always feel guilty knowing that I let an innocent boy get hurt."

Yuuki whined and pulled his ears against his head. Kagome lifted a hand and began to pet him. Her thoughts kept revolving around the decision she had to make; did she go or did she find help?

"And why can't I do both?" she mused. "If I call one of my friends and ask them to come over, say, half an hour or so after I'm supposed to meet them, I can leave a not for them explaining things. They didn't say I couldn't write everything, I just can't _tell_ anyone." Kagome smiled sadly. "If I do that, we may both have a chance."

Yuuki's eyes stared up at her. Kagome's smile faded. "Of course, it could also be bad if they got wind of it. I'm sure I could talk them out of it, but they might end up really hurting people." She didn't mention it would probably be herself that got hurt the most. Yuuki already seemed to know that. "And that would be very bad for some people I know." She also didn't mention the two guys that she knew, if she survived this, she would have to choose between.

She didn't normally believe in love at first sight, yet it appeared her heart was against her on that idea.

Kagome knew she had to make up her mind and stop procrastinating. Her pose took on a determined look. "Alright, I've decided."

She shifted and Yuuki lifted his head. He watched Kagome walk over to the phone and dial a number.

Kagome waited for the reciever to pick up. She was hailed by her little brother and smiled. "Hey, Souta. Guess what? Yuuki misses you. Would you mind coming over tonight and seeing him again?" She paused. "Yeah, I was thinking around ten thirty. That way, you have time to eat after your classes." Another, longer pause. "Alright, see you then. Bye."

She hung up and her smile faded again. "You know, I really can't believe this is happening still." She turned around and shook her head. "That just goes to show you should never expect your life to be calm and quiet. Something always comes around and messes things up."

Kagome walked into the kitchen and pulled out a piece of paper. Rummaging through a drawer for a pen, she began to compose her letter.

* * *

Souta pulled into the driveway to his sister's house. He was a little early, and he hoped Kagome wouldn't mind. He didn't _think _she would; after all, he was her baby brother. 

Getting out of the vehicle, Souta wondered why he had accepted the invite to visit that damned fox again. He had caused so much trouble...Souta shook his head. He filed the urge to accept the invitation away as a crazed impulse.

Approaching the door, Souta knocked vigerously. He hadn't had a lot of time to see his sister lately, and he really looked forward to this. Now, if only his darling sibling would open the door...

Souta frowned and knocked louder. Nobody answered, but Souta could hear movement in the house. Trying the knob, he wasn't surprised to find the door open. _Typical Kagome, forgetting to lock the door after she gets back, _he thought.

He stepped into the townhome and closed the door behind him. Taking off his shoes, he called for his sister. "Kagome, I'm here. Where are you, sis? You call me all the way over just to fall asleep on the couch?"

The offending apparel finally came off his feet and he strode into the room. He frowned again as he noticed that there was nobody in the living room, nor the kitchen when he checked. Deciding that maybe his sister was up in her bedroom, he went up the stairs.

He could still hear the noise, and as he approached the bedroom door, it faded slightly. Kagome's door was open, and the absense of life in the room was increasingly disturbing.

Alarms began going off in Souta's head. Of all the times Kagome had invited him over, not once had she not been there. He didn't think she would do something like this as a prank, either.

Walking down to the living room, he noticed the closet. All of the other doors had been open in the house. It was very out of place to have a single door closed in the entire area, and Souta figured someone was trying to tell him something.

He strode over to the enclosure and put a hand on the doorknob. Something was definately trapped in there, the noise had grown louder as he had drawn near. Taking a breath, Souta wrenched the door open (nearly taking it off its hinges in the process).

Souta had been expecting multitudes of things to be in there. A half dead body of his sister. A skeleton. A large amount of contraband or duffle bags of stolen bank money. He certainly didn't expect to be mauled by a panicked Yuuki.

"What the- settle down, you rat!" Souta called. Yuuki had immediately attacked his leg, but had let go and ran to the door moments after. Now, the young fox looked back at Souta expectantly, worry written through his entire body.

Souta looked sideways at him before approaching cautiously. There was something attatched to the door, and Souta's stomach began to knot as he drew near it.

It was a letter, with his name on the front. Written in Kagome's hand, Souta was skeptical about taking it. After being prompted by Yuuki that someone was in a rush, combined with his bad feeling that was growing into anxiety, Souta pulled the letter off the door.

Turning it over in his hand, he opened it and began to read it.

_Souta, _it read,

_If you're reading this, then I'm already gone. Don't panic (_and Souta's breathing had certainly quickened at the implications of that sentence), _I'm not dead. Yet.  
_

_I don't have a lot of time or paper to spare with long explainations, so I'll be quick about this. Earlier today, I got a disk from one of my co-workers, Naraku. He told me that him and one of his associates wished to meet me at the warehouse across from the hospital I work at. The meeting was to be at ten tonight, which I am leaving for as soon as I finish this._

_You know I would never go without reason. Here's why I'm doing this._

_He has a little boy with him, injured and probably sick. Remember me telling you about one of my patients, Shippo? He was kidnapped by Naraku, and it's my fault that he's in the situation he is. So I'm going to get him out of it, and prevent it from happening to other people I care about._

_I was forbidden to tell anyone about the meeting or Shippo would die. I couldn't let that happen, so I arranged for you to come over and wrote this letter for you. I need you to do something for me, baby brother._

_I need you to go to the police and show them this. You can also use the disk for evidence, and it's in the DVD player. I also need you to _not _let Yuuki out. I'm sure that he'll get himself in trouble otherwise. I had to throw him in the closet before leaving because he was ready to follow me. I don't want him hurt. I've grown attatched to him._

_I'm running out of paper now, and I'm just about out of time. Please do this for me, Souta. If not, then this really is goodbye._

_Kagome_

Souta's hand fell and he let the letter drop to the floor. "Oh, shit."

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	31. Ch30: And So, It Begins

A/N: I purposedly made this chapter short so that the next one can be longer. Okay? I hope nobody minds, but I'm not changing it.

I'm really happy. I just realised that I have nearly 500 reviews! X3 Makes me smile to know that people have been reading my story and enjoying it.

Alright, so someone (Sorry, the name escapes me) asked that I put a little more YYH in here. Well, I tried, and I will keep trying, but I'm having trouble thinking of things to do. It's hard to put them in this story.

So I almost didn't update today, but I did. Be glad because I probably won't get another chance to this week. I will try, though, and now I should stop rambling and actually get ready to leave class. (Once again, I seem to be writing this in my second block class...)

* * *

Souta rummaged through the drawers at Kagome's. "Where does she keep it? I mean, I know she has it somewhere..." he trailed. 

The first thing he had done after reading the letter was to call the police. They had thought it was a prank call until he mentioned Naraku and Shippo; then they had started to take him seriously and told him they'd be over soon.

Now he was looking for Sango's number, among others. Souta felt that it would be nice for Kagome's friends to know that she was getting herself into trouble, yet again.

So far, Souta had no luck in finding anything remotely resembling a phone number. He had looked through nearly every drawer in the house so far. Slamming shut the one he was going through, he opened the last one he hadn't looked through yet.

His eyebrows raised as his sight was greeted with many dried roses and notes. Picking up a note, he read a sort of love letter. "S? Who in the hell is S?" Souta smiled. "Looks like my big sister is finally dating someone seriously." He smirked and continued looking through the drawer, desperately keeping his mind off of his sister's predicament.

He finally located Sango's number at the very bottom of the drawer, along with Rin's and Kikyo's. He decided he should probably call all of them, plus that vet that had given Kagome Yuuki. Maybe they could watch the fox while Souta looked for her...

He picked up the reciever and dialed the vets number, which had been programmed into the speed dialing system. It took a while for someone to answer, and Souta was debating on whether or not someone was actually there.

A young-sounding male picked up, and Souta remembered the voice. It was that guy that had assisted Dr. Yoshizawa.

"Hello, I don't know if you remember me, but my sister called you people a while ago to help with a moody fox?" he started.

The guy, Yuusuke, said "Oh, I remember you. What has the git done this time?" he asked.

Souta sighed. "Not the fox, but his owner. My sister has disappeared and I need someone to watch Yuuki, but all of my sister's friends are going to be helping to look for her."

Yuusuke nodded on the other side of the line. He was in Koenma's office when the communicator rang, arguing with the brat for more time to spend with Keiko. "I think I can send someone to go look after him. I would go myself, but I'm in the middle of a very important meeting." Yuusuke ignored Koenma's indignant squeak.

Souta practically glowed. "I'd very appreciate it. He's already a handful ever since Kagome left, and I had to stuff him in a closet again." The scratching was settling down a bit, though it hadn't subsided completely.

"Alright, I'll be sending over one of my partners. His name is Hiei. He won't talk much, but he can certainly handle your fox."

Souta thanked Yuusuke and said his goodbyes before hanging up.

Yuusuke closed the compact look-alike to hang up, then opened it again and dialed Hiei's code. He completely ignored Koenma and his squawking. He waited for Hiei's curt greeting before launching into the story.

"Two things to tell you. One, Kurama is freaking out and I need you to knock some sense into him. I can't go because the toddler is keeping me under lockdown. Two, there's something I need you to check out. There's been some big demonic activity around town and it's worrying everyone here, which isn't saying much. Kuwabara is sick, Kurama's mini-me, and I'm not being let out here until Koenma agrees to let me have some more time to myself. Can you do that?"

Hiei's picture nodded and disappeared.

Yuusuke turned to finish his conversation with the brat.

* * *

The dark corridors sent a small shiver down Kagome's back. She completely ignored the small sounds she heard of dripping water and scurrying feet. She had no doubt that the entire building was insect infested and full of rodents, and it did nothing to quell her unease. She was being as quiet as possible, yet she still felt like she was being entirely too loud. She could hear her feet echoing off of the empty walls and through the dank building.

The entire atmosphere was making her tattered nerves even more frayed. She couldn't hear a noise without thinking it was a crazed ax murderer coming to get her. She couldn't see a small amount of light without thinking someone was going to jump out at her with a butchers knife, kind of like a bad scene out of Psycho.

_Why is it that _now _I start to regret my love for horror and suspense movies? _ her mind whined. She nearly whimpered; nearly. Her throat was too tight for any noise to come out. _I seem to have swallowed a log._

She continued to cautiously make her way down the corridor. She swore that Naraku had picked this place out just to set Kagome on edge, and it was definately working.

She had been pondering her choice closely the past few minutes. She had also been thinking about who could have been working with Naraku, but she had yet to come up with anyone who would be crazy enough. Anything to keep her mind off of how insane she was to be doing this.

She saw a large door in front of her, no doubt restored to its former glory by the same insane psychopath that Kagome was about to meet. She was very apprehensive about going through, and had a moment where she almost turned and fled.

Instead, she gathered the remains of her courage (which wasn't much to begin with) and knocked once. She half hoped that nobody would answer and that she would have to leave. She half hoped that this was all some really horrible dream and that soon she would wake up with Yuuki after a lovely night with one of her two knights in shining armor. Deep in her heart she knew otherwise.

The door slowly creaked open and Kagome took a hesitant step forward. The room was surprisingly dark; Kagome didn't know if she had expected theatre spotlights or mood lighting, but it wasn't a completely dark room.

Just as she passed the threshold, the door slammed shut behind her. Any light that had followed her was completely cut off. She whipped around and began to pound on the door. "What is this? Let me go!"

Malicious chuckling answered her as she heard a hissing noise. There was a wierd smell filling the air, and she belatedly realised that someone was sending some sort of gas into the room. She barely heard the 'sweet dreams' that was whispered through the door before collapsing into oblivion.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	32. Ch31: Old Eyes

A/N: So I haven't had a lot of time to write this week, right? Well, that's because I had too much to do this weekend, and the only time I could find to write was today. I actually would've written some on Monday, but we had a huge storm here and school was cancelled. The same storm also knocked out our internet at home, so I wasn't able to get on.

I've already had some people asking about Shippo. Please be patient, I am going to try and explain it in later chapters. Of course, if you're still confused after that, I will personally email you and explain it until you understand what is happening. 'Kay?

Anyways, I don't know if I'll be able to update again. I will try, but tomorrow I need to play catsup and Friday I have a bunch of tests...but if I find the time, I'll work.

Now I just need to figure out how I'm going to bring all this into light for the final confrontation... Don't worry, I'm confident my good ol' friend Writer's Block won't visit again on THIS story.

Which reminds me, one final thing. If you like this story (well, the pairing and the shows, at least. Actually, if you prefer crossovers with more YYH cast), please check out my other story, The Truth of Beauty. I like writing it a lot more, and feel it deserves a little recognition here.

Now, enough rambling. I'm done.

* * *

Hiei was furious. He had finally made it to that idiot human _boy's _house (he refused to think of it belonging to a mere mortal woman) to get Kurama to calm down, and the thrice damned fox had disappeared. 

Apparently, the boy had opened the closet door to let Kurama get some air. Then the police had appeared, and the fox had taken it into his head to take off without anyone's permission, running too fast and dodging under too many trees and shrubs for anyone to follow him. Maybe if Hiei had been there, he could've been followed...

Now Hiei was left with trying to hunt down the runaway demon before Koenma blamed him. Not that it was Hiei's fault; it was never _his _fault. He just kept getting blamed for things.

A thought crossed Hiei's mind that made him smirk. He could always blame it on Kuwabara. The idiot's stupid honor code would make it so he couldn't deny an accusation when it came to people he looked up to. That would work to get him out of trouble.

Of course, the short fire demon still had to investigate that warehouse place. Even from where he was, still some distance away, he could feel the evil aura wafting from the building. He was taking some time to stop and actually try and identify it, not rushing into anything. He had all the time in the world to investigate, after all.

* * *

Kagome sat up slowly. Her head was aching from the fall she had taken when she had been gassed. She could remember that much, at least. 

Gingerly, she touched the back of her head, letting out a hiss when her fingers came into contact with a particularily sore spot. She wondered how anyone in their right mind would use gas on someone who had come of their own free will..._Then again, _she thought, _this is _Naraku _I'm talking about. He is as far from sane as someone suffering from schitzophrenia. I wouldn't even be surprised if he _is _a schitzo._

Kagome slowly took stock of her injuries. She had a million bruises, a nice collection of scrapes and cuts, and her head was pounding a nice rhythm. She figured she probably suffered a slight concussion from the fall, and hoped it wouldn't do anything to jeapordize her chances of getting out of there.

She was able to finally stand and turned slowly. She was in a small cell that looked to be underground somewhere, probably a basement or something. It was very chilly down there. Kagome wrapped her arms around herself to help stave off the cold.

She looked down at the floor and gasped. Rushing over, she kneeled next to a very beaten, very bloody Shippo. She bit her lip as she turned him over so he wasn't lying on his face and tears came to her eyes.

With the care that a mother gives her young child, Kagome began to check the extent of his injuries. He was definately suffering from multiple breaks in one of his arms, but luckily, it wasn't the one that had been broken before. His ragged breathing told of a torso injury, bruised ribs or worse. There were many lumps on his head from either hitting the floor or from something very solid coming into contact with his skull. What really worried her were his legs. They were laying at odd angles that were extremely unnatural, and there was no doubt in Kagome's mind that if he wasn't in blinding pain, then he was obviously paralyzed.

She gently lifted him into her lap and cradled the young boy against her chest. Her brow furrowed as she realised something about him she didn't know before.

He had a demonic aura.

And not just any demonic aura. Shippo was a young fox, a demon probably a lot younger in his mindset than normal humans. It shocked Kagome that she wasn't able to pick up his aura signals the first time she had met him after returning from Genkai's temple.

Kagome then berated herself for thinking about meaningless things when she should be worried about the little red-head.

The first thing to do was to wake him up so that she could find out if his injuries were worse than she had first thought. Gently shaking him, so as not to jar his hurts too much, she called out, "Shippo, it's time to wake up. I need you to open your eyes, alright?"

A small groan came from the fox-child, and Kagome took that as a sign that he was still well enough to know his name. "Come on, I need to talk to you. It's alright to wake up right now, whoever hurt you isn't going to be back for a while." _I hope, _she added silently.

Shippo slowly cracked open an eye. After all these years, why did he feel like a child again? Why did he feel like he was back in his mother's arms, listening to her tell him stories about when the demon and human worlds were one and the same? He waited for his vision to clear, then raised his head slightly. His sight was filled with the angel he had only hoped would come and comfort him, dreams he had given up on long ago.

Kagome smiled, hiding her suprise at how old the young boy's eyes looked. "Hey, there you are. Welcome back. Sorry I took so long to get here." Her eyes blurred slightly with tears that she wanted to shed, yet held back because crying would do nothing for either of them at the moment.

Shippo opened his mouth to say something, but his dry throat wouldn't let more than a whimper leave his mouth. He licked his lips and tried again. On the fifth try, he was able to croak out, "Kag'me."

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, I'm here. I won't leave you alone willingly again, alright? I just need you to answer a few questions. Do you feel any sharp pains when you breathe?" Shippo went to say something again, and Kagome put a finger to his lips. "Don't talk, save your breath. Just nod or shake your head." Shippo shook his head. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief. "What about your legs? Can you feel them, and does it hurt to move?" Shippo nodded yes to the first, and no to the second. Kagome wanted to scream in sympathy as she feared the worst. If she could remember correctly from the few years she had studied medicine...that wasn't a good sign. "Alright, what about your head? Do you get dizzy just by moving your eyes? Do you hurt a lot? Do you have a bad headache?" Two nods and a head shake answered her questions.

Kagome noticed that Shippo was nodding off. "One more question, Shippo, and then you can go to sleep. Do you feel nauseous?" Shippo shook his head. Kagome gave him a small hug and smiled softly at him. "You're a very brave person, Shippo. You can go to sleep now. I won't leave you."

Shippo sighed in, if not happiness, then content in the knowledge that someone was watching over him.

As for Kagome, she was too busy worrying about what would happen to her young burden if she didn't do something soon.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	33. Ch32: The Knight in Shining Armor I

A/N: Yes! Yes yes yes! I don't know if any of you have read any of my reviews, but someone just asked me if they could use my idea! And you know what?...

_**I'M TOTALLY FREAKING OUT THAT SOMEONE WANTS TO USE MY IDEA!  
**_

Yes, and that makes me so happy that I just had to tell everyone. I gave my permission, and am really looking forward to reading it. If anyone wants to know, it will be written by Mercurial Pheonix.

Okay, enough about that...I don't think there's much else to say except that this chapter mainly focuses on Youko and Suuichi. So, I'm not going to bore you anymore with my notes. Even though **_I_**_**'M STILL TOTALLY FREAKING OUT THAT SOMEONE WANTS TO USE MY IDEA! X3**_

* * *

Yuuki crawled into the room, scurrying over the cold cement floor on his stomach. His ears were flat on his head and he was doing his best to have his glowing fur blend into the dull settings he was in. 

_**This is stupid, this is insane, I can't **_**believe _we're doing this..._** Suuichi ranted. _**Tell me again, just **_**why _we _couldn't _wait for people who actually have _limbs _to save Kagome?_**

_Because they may be too late. _Youko shook his head and put his nose to the ground. It had been very, very easy for him to follow her scent; the shampoo Kagome favored was a very unique style that could only be found in a handful of stores. Plus, not many women used it, so it helped there, too. _After all, those idiotic guys that kidnapped her wouldn't have stayed put. And wasn't I right about that? _he retorted.

Suuichi pinched the bridge of his nose...or would've, if he could. _**Look, couldn't we have just freaked out and started to drag a person around? We could have even found this place, and then gone back and gotten someone!**_

_No, we couldn't. You heard the boy call Yuusuke. The detective will no doubt send someone after us and try to stop us. I won't leave Kagome in some insane maniac's clutches a moment more than I have to._

_**So you'll finally admit that you have some feelings for her?**_

_Only if you do. Now shut up, I need to concentrate. I nearly lost the trail._

Suuichi subsided slightly and left Youko to do what he did best. In reality, both of them were very afraid that Kagome would be hurt. It still amazed the two at how quickly they had fallen for the young maiden. Of course, it helped that she talked about them all the time, both in human (or demon, depending on the moon cycle) and fox form.

The silver canine reflected dully over the past hour (or so) of events while he padded down a dim hallway. He had broken out of the house, left behind a frenzy of humanoid panic, found and located the trail he needed to find Kagome, and followed said trail to the source. And he had yet to meet the kidnappers.

Neither Youko nor Suuichi had been paying attention to where their trail was leading, and so neither entities saw the wall that Youko so gracefully walked into.

Falling back with a yip, Youko shook his head. _Alright, what kind of person puts a wall in the middle of nowhere? _he accused the air.

Suuichi looked up and Youko's gaze followed him. _**Someone who decided they needed a room and a door.**_

Youko stood slowly and examined the door. _It's a nice make, if a little old. Sturdy, metal, a decent lock on it..._He trailed off when he heard scuffling inside.

_**The trail leads in there, and if there's movement, it's got to be Kagome! **_Suuichi cried.

_I know, Einstein! Now shut up and let me work! _Youko's snap had Suuichi shutting his mouth with a click. Satisfied he wouldn't have any more interruptions from his other half for the moment, Yuuki began to yip softly.

Inside the cell, Kagome couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I'm hallucinating," she muttered to herself. "Yuuki is with Souta, back at my house, stuffed in a closet." She still felt a bit guilty about having to do that to her friend, but she couldn't have taken him with her.

Even as she told herself she was just imagioning it, the yipping refused to cease. In fact, it grew in noise level and frustration.

_Get your mind around the fact that we're here! _Youko was calling. _Look up, you dolt! You just have to look through those pretty bars over that window thing, and you'll see we're right here. Come on, we haven't got all day to get you out of here!_

Kagome shook her head. Deciding that it wouldn't hurt to put her overactive thoughts out of her head, she picked up Shippo (who had yet to wake up) and set him gently on the ground. She wanted to move the young boy as little as possible.

Standing, she limped over to the cell door. She had twisted her ankle sometime down the line. Peering outside the cell, she gasped. Yuuki was jumping in front of her door, wagging his tail furiously and looking like a puppy whose treat was just out of reach.

As soon as her face had appeared, Youko began to circle in frustration. He couldn't tell her what he wanted to know, so he would just have to show her. Running back a bit, then returning to the cell, he hoped she got the message.

Kagome watched Yuuki and her brow furrowed. _Well, wierder things have happened. I mean, they did have a Lassie at one time..._ She nearly chuckled at her own joke. Shrugging, she whispered softly. "Hey boy, how'd you find me? Never mind about that, I wonder if you can understand. Listen, there are two men in here that are keeping me and Shippo captive." Yuuki froze at the mention of the young fox he had began to like, and Kagome continued. "He's doing very badly, and is only getting worse over time. I need you to track down the men and find a key ring or something and bring it here. We need to get out of here soon."

Youko snapped out of his stupor and yipped softly. Laying his ears against his head, he whined slightly and hoped Kagome knew it was worry over her that made him do it. Then, not wasting a single moment more, he turned around and began to follow a new scent trail. One that had been ignored in favor of finding his mistress; the trail of the kidnappers.

* * *

Just inside a well furnished room (which Youko and Suuichi were creeping into), Naraku slammed his fist on a delicately carved table. The wooden furnishing shattered, age making it brittle and weak. The fact that it was an old antique didn't faze the furious demon, and Yuuki took note on it.

"What the hell is he thinking, making me sit here. He gets to go out and about, and instead he leaves me here! Not only that, but he's preventing me from seeing my woman!" Naraku growled again and turned his anger upon the other objects scattered about the room, most of them already spouting evidence of his frustration.

Youko paused just inside the door, crouching behind a white couch. _Besides being ugly and kidnapping Kagome, what do you make of him? _he asked Suuichi.

The red-head observed him a moment more before coming to a small conclusion. _**He's definately dangerous. He's also Kagome's co-worker, the one that followed her home and wouldn't leave. **_Youko nodded in agreement. **_We need to be especially careful, since he _is _a demon. Otherwise, it shouldn't be harder than stealing from Hiei. They both share the same sort of temper, only this guy doesn't know how to control it._**

_My thoughts exactly. So, here's what I'm thinking. We need to get rid of this guy, otherwise he could be used as reinforcements when Kagome is escaping. _Youko dodged a chair leg flung at the wall beside him and continued. _It's going to be hard enough getting the keys, but how can we make him stay here?_

Suuichi pointed to a place high on the doorway and made a circle around the room. **_Those would probably help, _**he said.

Youko smirked. _You know, it's times like now that I'm glad I learned to supress my demonic aura. At least we know why he's flipping out, now. Those sutra's have got to hurt if he tries to leave._

_**So, now all we have to do is steal the keys, return to Kagome, bust her out of her cell, and make it back to safety without getting caught by the other guy.**_

_Piece of cake._

_

* * *

_End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	34. Ch33:The Knight in Shining Armor II

A/N: Alrighty, since it's my favorite time of the year (first day of spring! First day of spring!), I've decided to spend both class periods where I can use the computer (and yes, I'm done with everything I need to do) writing more of ACE. It's the final battles, people! Yay! X3

Alright, so since I've gotten two chapters out today (and both out in about two hours of each other...), I don't think there's much more to say.

Except that many of you will probably be ready to mob me by the end of the chapter. XP

* * *

Youko was waiting, crouched behind the couch, for the right moment. The furious demon, who had not stopped in his destruction of anything not nailed to the floor (and sometimes, even being nailed to the floor didn't stop him. The fireplace was kind enough to prove that), was slowly making his way towards the small fox. The keys Youko needed were strapped to Mr. Angry's belt, and the contraption was a lot less complicated than anything Youko was used to. He could pull this off with his eyes closed in his normal form. 

**_And since you aren't in your demon form, I suggest you keep both eyes open and wary. _**Suuichi was keeping his ears open for any sign that the demon's partner was returning.

_I'm not stupid, you know. And don't you dare answer that. _Suuichi closed his mouth and swallowed his reply. _You're supposed to be listening. Leave the other stuff to me. I know what I'm doing._

Suuichi didn't bother replying, and Youko was grateful. The demon was only a small, flimsy cushion away from getting to the couch. It was almost time to strike.

The pillow went up in a feather-filled explosion, and Youko momentarily lost the demon's form as a few of the feathers drifted into his face. One of them tickled his nose, and he couldn't help but sneeze. He immediately froze, the same time as the demon.

"Who's there?" the demon called out in a cold voice. Youko huddled deeper into the shadows, hoping that his luck would hold and the demon would continue to attack things.

Youko barely had time to wonder if Lady Luck would always be against him before he was furiously picked up by the scruff of the neck by the demon's meaty hand. Pain welled at the back of Youko's neck, causing him to snarl.

Naraku laughed. "Well well well. Look what I've found. Here I am, thinking that I'm all alone with nothing to do, and the damned fox that makes an idiotof me comes crawling into my presence." He chuckled coldly. "I think I owe you a little payback for making me look the fool in front of my woman."

Youko began to kick and wriggle, trying to loosen the demon's grip. _Ow, damn him, that hurts! Ow, ow, pain...why won't he just let go?_

Naraku chuckled at the fox's attempts at getting free. "Oh no you don't. I'm going to have so much fun." Naraku shifted his grip so that he could grasp the delicate neck of the fox. He slowly began to squeeze.

_Can't...breathe..._ Darkness began to cloud over Youko's vision.

Suuichi, for his part, began to berate him. **_I told you! Didn't I tell you? Now you're in so much trouble! Breathe, damnit. You can't come here and let some low class, second-rate theif take Kagome away from us!_**

Youko wanted to shout at Suuichi, but he couldn't get his mind around the sheer animalistic panic that began to consume him.

"I wonder what Kagome will think when she finds out her pesky _dog_ is dead?" Naraku mused.

Youko barely heard the question, but it was enough. To picture how Kagome would look, knowing that she was placing her hope of escape in her small companion, it was enough for Youko to push down his instincts and think. Though it helped that the demon insulted him, too.

Manipulating himself, Youko flung clawed paws onto the demon's hand. He kept scratching at him, slowly gaining more strength as he knew he needed to get free soon, before he drifted into a sleep in which he wouldn't be able to wake from.

**_Come on! Can't you bite him? _**Suuichi pestered Youko.

_I'm trying...but the damn lug...won't work with me!_

Youko hit something with one of his back claws and pulled out. He was rewarded with a cry of indignation and a slight loosening of the hand around his neck. It was just for a moment, but that moment was all Youko needed to maneuver his mouth and bite down onto the demon's hand.

Naraku's hand immediately let go of the fox. But instead of falling, like he had thought, the thrice-cursed fox leapt _up_. As in, into the air and onto Naraku's shoulder.

Naraku, who had been cradeling his injured limb, knew that the beast was within an area to do serious damage. He began to bat at the wretched thing, but the monstrocity kept _moving_.

Youko, for his part, knew he couldn't stay still. He still needed to get the keys, so he began to move in a way that was forcing the demon to bend over, creating a nice platform for Youko to work with. He scratched and bit at the demon's skin, through his clothing, and in any area that would cause the most pain or annoyance.

Finally, after enough patience, the demon bent over at his waist enough for Youko. He scrambled over the back, reached an extended paw over to the front of the belt, and pulled it free. The clasp broke immediately and fell to the floor. The keys made a small jingling noise to alert Youko to his success.

Naraku roared. He stood up, and he could tell the fox couldn't get a grip on his bloody back as the creature fell to the floor. He whipped around and faced the thing, breathing heavily and creating a scary sight from all the blood that was streaming from his once perfectly groomed hair. In his fury, Naraku lunged at Youko.

Youko had been waiting for that moment. Without hesitation, Youko danced out of Naraku's clutches and shot after the belt. Since the keys were attatched to the ugly accessory, he had to take the entire thing with him.

Youko barely made it out of the doorway before the wards went up as Naraku flung himself after the fox.

A slight sizzling was heard before Naraku could pull himself back from the energy field. His hair was standing on end, frizzled and moving about with the slightest motion.

_He looks like a porcupine, _Youko observed.

**_A very angry, murderous porcupine. _**Suuichi stiffled a small laugh, even though he could practically see the steam drifting from the demon's ears. **_Maybe it's about time we left him to his own devices._**

Youko needed no futher prompting.

* * *

Within moments of leaving the demon fending for himself, Youko was once again at Kagome's cell door. There was no sign that the other demon was coming to them, and so Youko set down the keys and called out. 

Kagome heard Yuuki's bark and scrambled back onto her feet. She had to stand on her toes to see out the window, but she was able to pick out Yuuki and what looked like a belt. "Hey there, you really did it, didn't you?" Kagome was amazed that Yuuki looked neither fazed nor injured. "The only problem is, I haven't thought about how you're going to get them to me."

Youko shook his head slightly. _Typical. Humans always plan so poorly when they're under pressure._

Ignoring Suuichi's comments, Youko picked up the belt in his mouth again. Eyeing the height of the window, he backed up a bit more before taking a running start and leaping towards the opening.

Kagome snapped out of her own little world and saw Yuuki sailing towards her, the belt dangling from his jaws. Reaching a hand through the bars, as far as she possibly could, she made a snatch at the belt as it passed her. She was able to brush it with her fingertips before losing any grip she had on it. Frowning, Kagome egged Yuuki on to try again.

Youko needed no commands for what he was doing; he kept at it until, some time later, Kagome was able to grab the leather band. "Yes!" she cried, pulling her hand back a little bit.

Working with her crazy ideas (which just seemed to appear magically in her head), she stood on the very tips of her toes like a ballerina. She was barely able to reach the lock, sliding in different keys until she found the right one.

With a satisfying click, Kagome pushed open the door.

Youko slithered through the small crack and leapt at Kagome. Kagome caught him just in time, and began to praise him.

"I don't know how you did it, Yuuki, but you just saved us! You're such a pretty boy, so smart, so brave, you're just my knight in shining armor, aren't you..." Kagome smiled as Yuuki basked in his own glory.

Kagome stopped talking and set Yuuki down on the ground. Youko looked at her with a slightly confused look as Kagome turned around and walked further into her cell. Bending over, Kagome picked up the still unconcious Shippo and pulled him into her arms.

Youko saw the boy and immediately his ears went down and his tail curled under him. He felt so guilty for not paying more attention to what was going on around him and he began blaming himself for what happened to Shippo.

Kagome gave her little friend a tiny smile. Looking up at the door, she saw a shadow. She froze in fear and watched, in slow motion, as a heavily booted foot shot out and caught Yuuki in the ribs. The young fox sailed across the room, crashed into the wall and slid to the floor...and he didn't move.

* * *

End Chapter.

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	35. Ch34: The Truth Comes Out

A/N: So, you guys are probably mad at me for the whole Yuuki thing...right? -' Hey, don't hurt me yet! If I'm incapacitated, I really can't finish this!

Anyways, I'm working on the chapters and realizing that, yes, they are short. That's because I've already got the final chapters planned out in my head. And I'm figuring there's only three chapters left.

**However! I need your opinions.** What I need to know is whether or not you want me to write the final battle out, and if so, from who's point of view? Also, should I describe it like what I do with Truth or do you care if I let you people fill in the gaps like what I've been doing with this story.

I would really like your people's opinion, because right now I've got everyone with a POV that I can write. I can tell it from Kagome's view, but that would be less battle and more denial stuff going on. I can also tell it from one of the fighter's view, and that would be more battle (with probably some insults thrown in). I can also have Shippo concious and give off some more of that crazy, what-the-bloody-hell-is-she-doing-with-this-poor-kid's-mind stuff. Let me know!

One final thing. When I write the last chapter of the story, I'm going to want to know if you people want a sequal. I have a rough outline of a second installment, but I'll only write it if you want it. If I do write a sequal to ACE, I'll be sure to put it up within a week or two of finishing this story so that you people can read some more of the plotline.

Also, when I put up the final chapter, I'm going to go through and put down every person's name who reviewed, whether the reviews were anonymous or not. It's really only because you people keep reviewing that I have the motivation to finish this. If you had stopped sending me reviews, I would have put this story on the shelf LONG ago. Like when I first got writer's block and couldn't get past it.

So, thank you everyone and let me shut up now. You should be reading!

* * *

Kagome watched with shock and disbelief as her boss, Toguro, stepped into the room. He looked around like a king viewing serfs of his kingdom before his eyes turned themselves onto her. His mouth split into a feral grin. 

"Well, now is that very nice? Trying to leave without thanking your host." Toguro shook his head. "Where are your manners, my dear?"

Kagome took a shuddering breath. Really, she should have suspected this. Ever since she was threatened by him, she should have guessed. "I don't think I need manners when someone decides to kidnap me and one of the patients in his hospital," Kagome bit out venomously.

She put on a pretty brave front, but inside she was shaking horribly. Terror was going to consume her, she was sure. It was all she could do to keep her mind on what Toguro was saying and doing and not break down screaming.

Toguro stepped forward. "You're afraid." Kagome's eyes widened slightly, then narrowed. Something was slightly off. "It's good that you're afraid," he continued. "It means your smart, that you can follow your instincts. I like that in my women."

Kagome watched as he stepped forward again. All of the sudden, she wanted to be as far away from him as physically possibly. Scooping Shippo into her arms, she began to back up.

Then it hit her. The reason why she felt so awkward around him, the fact that her instincts were telling her to run. "You're a demon," she stated. "No, that's not right. You're only a half demon. A human turned into one by a spell, or a curse," she accused.

She continued to back up as Toguro advanced. "Very good." His voice sounded like a master praising their dog. "I'm glad we've got that all cleared up. Surprised? I'm sure you were surprised when you found out your little boy there was a demon as well." He stepped forward, and Kagome stepped back. She was vaguely reminded of when Naraku had confronted her at her house some time back. "I'm sure Naraku didn't surprise you, that he's a demon. It's quite obvious, when you think about it." Another advance, another retreat. "But I'm sure I know more about your little...friends...then their letting on."

Kagome was completely confused, and nearly panicked when she could feel the looming cell wall just a few steps behind her. She stepped back once more.

"You see, I've been watching you." He stepped forward again, and was amused to see Kagome step back with him. "I've seen you with that...fox...in that park near your house." He could feel the fear coming off of her in tidal waves and was pleased to see she was hiding it quite well for a mere human. He stepped forward once more. "Did he mention that he was the fox theif Youko Kurama?" Another step. "Did he tell you he died once?" Step. "Did he say how he's still alive, give the reasons why a murderous bastard like him is able to meet my woman and think he can take her?" Her back was to the wall now. "Did he mention that his other name is Suuichi Minnamino?"

Kagome paused. She couldn't believe what he was saying. Suuichi was Youko? It was absurd. Insane words from an insane human-turned-demon. She completely ignored the little voice that was telling her stranger things had happened.

Gathering some courage, Kagome barked out a rather shaky laugh. "Suuichi is Youko? You must be joking. It's impossible for two souls to exist in the same body."

Toguro took a final step forward. If he reached out, he knew he would be able to touch her. Feel he warm, soft skin. Brush his hands across those warm lips of hers... "It is not impossible if you mold the body to accomidate the second soul," he practically whispered. His dark eyes flashed in the moonlight.

Kagome shut her eyes. _There is no possible way it could happen_, she kept repeating in her head. _No way._

Toguro reached out a well defined hand to touch her cheek. Now, he knew, she was his.

* * *

Youko groggily opened his eyes. Well, one eye, really. The other one was being too lazy and didn't want to open. He could only vaguely remember what happened. He remembered watching Kagome get Shippo, and then there was a sharp pain in his ribs, then a sharper pain in his back, and then... 

**_And then you were knocked unconcious, _**Suuichi said. _**I do believe we have Kagome's dear boss to thank for that. **_He nodded to where Kagome was

Youko turned his eye onto Kagome and saw her backing up from Toguro's advances. He tried to get up, but it was almost too much effort. _That son of a bitch _kicked _me! _His voice was full of indignation.

Suuichi nodded. **_And, if you'd bother paying attention to the scene, you'd realize that Kagome is scared half to death and Toguro is pulling a Naraku. _**

It took Youko a minute to see that the same scene that was playing out at that moment was a near perfect reflection of when Youko first met Naraku at Kagome's house.

Growling in his mind (as he didn't want Toguro to be aware he was awake), Youko pulled himself to his feet.

He was aching all over, but he shook it off as much as possible. Rubbing his head with a paw momentarily, he sighed. _Now we need a new plan._

_**If we're going to make one, it had better be soon. **_Suuichi and Youko were unable to hear the quiet conversation between Kagome and Toguro, but Kagome was nearly to the wall and whatever her boss had just said, it had thrown her off-balance.

_Right, well I'm all in favor for going in and just improvising. It _is_ what I do best._

_**And if he pulls out that boot again? **_Youko winced. **_What then? _**

_Then, _Youko said as he began to sketch out a rough layout of the room in his mind, _I just get up and start over again._

Suuichi didn't even bother trying to convince Youko otherwise. Most times the fox theif was a great strategist; other times he was worse than Yuusuke.

Youko took a running start towards Toguro. Gathering himself, he sprang at the demon with all his strength.

Kagome saw a flash of white, and nearly choked when she saw Yuuki flinging himself at Toguro. Toguro saw that Kagome's attention had shifted and turned just in time to see a fox flying at him.

But it wasn't Yuuki.

As the moonlight fell onto the tiny canine's form, Kagome watched as Yuuki's form changed. His fur disappeared to be replaced with smooth skin. His back paws became silk clad legs and slippered feet. His forepaws became clawed hands, one stretched back and another claw reaching forward towards Toguro. His ears and tail remained as silvery-white hair flew out behind him.

Kagome watched as Youko flew furiously at Toguro with a snarl on his face.

She slowly sank to the floor. She just couldn't believe what she was seeing. Even though she _had _seen it and 'it' was fighting with her boss, who was a human that turned himself into a demon, who had kidnapped her and a young boy and beaten said boy into oblivion. It was insane, that was what. It couldn't be possible, yet she had _seen _it. Which meant it was, in fact, reality.

Yuuki was Youko.

Youko was Yuuki.

Was it really possible?

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review! 


	36. Ch35: For You

A/N: Well, I was GOING to write the scene from both Kagome and Youko's view, but...I kinda got carried away. It was just so much fun writing this scene! X3 Thanks for everyone who reviewed and gave their input...there was a tie.

Anyways, this is the fourth chapter in three days, and we're counting down to the end. What are your thought about this ending? A sequal? (If you haven't said you did/n't want a sequal yet...)

I'll not talk anymore and just let you read for now, won't I?

* * *

Youko didn't even bother worrying about changing back into his true form. Suuichi kept saying this was a bad idea, but he was way too busy concentrating on fighting than anything else. 

_**You don't have any plants to work with, and our lady-love just found out that her pet fox is a **_**demon _she's been _dating**Suuichi berated.

Youko's lunge pushed him into Toguro and he rammed his fist into the demon's face. Toguro barely managed to move his head, causing the punch to land on his cheek instead of on his nose. Youko growled in frustration and leapt back, dodging a return attack.

_Shut up, I'm trying to work here. Besides, she'll let us explain. I know she will. _Youko's voice was full of confidence.

Suuichi subsided quietly, though he wasn't as sure as Youko was that Kagome would listen to them. After all, she had a horrible temper when it was raised; they had been at the recieving end quite a few times.

Toguro smirked. "So, I was right. You know, it's not nice to keep secrets." He gathered his demonic energy like a cloak around him, internalizing it. His muscles began to bulge in his white doctor's coat, shredding the material as he cried out in satisfaction.

Youko didn't bother to answer him. He had never been big on trading insults in the middle of a battle; glaring, however, was perfectly fine. With narrowed eyes, Youko leapt at Toguro again.

Toguro's muscle-enhanced arm whipped at him faster than he had thought possible. Youko was caught in the stomach, folding over Toguro's fist momentarily. Toguro smirked in triumph as Youko was forced to move back again.

The fox's eyes moved about the scene, calculating. The first thing he needed to do was get Kagome and Shippo out of there. Then he needed to kill Toguro. After that, he needed to go back and teach Naraku a lesson, explain himself to his lady, help heal Shippo, and then all would be as it should.

Shifting his head ever so slightly, Youko watched Toguro approach. As long as Kagome was there, she was in danger. She was a liability for him, as he had to watch himself and make sure she remained uninjured.

Youko ran at Toguro, his mind trying to find a way to get Kagome out of the cell and away from the building. He dodged a fist assult from his opponent and launched a spinning kick at him. He was pleased to feel his kick connect, and sprang out of the way from his attack.

The fight continued in that manner, Youko launching swift attacks while trying (and, quite a few times, failing) to keep out of Toguro's range. Things were working pleasantly in the fox's favor until Toguro pulled a trick from his sleeve.

Youko had been behind Toguro, launching a punch at him, when Toguro moved much faster than he had been. His hand shot out behind him, catching Youko in the throat and lifting him up like a rag doll.

_What is it with people and my throat? _He growled in frustration and tried to take as deep a breath as he could. His hands came up to clutch Toguro's wrist and began to claw at it. The bloody demon had a smile on his face, one of pleasure and insanity. Youko glared as hard as he could, trying to pry his neck free.

Toguro started to squeeze. "Oh, dear, is the poor theif finally loosing his touch? There was a time when you wouldn't have held back. There was a time when you would have gone and pulled out your infamous red rose and sliced me into bite-sized peices. What is the world coming to?" Toguro's voice was laced with mock astonishment.

Youko could, once again, feel his vision darkening. He couldn't believe this was happening, couldn't believe that he had let this happen...

Suuichi had gone very quiet, not even speaking up to yell at Youko for, once again, getting stuck in a sticky situation. Youko looked past Toguro, feeling his life slipping from between his fingers once again, and saw Kagome standing behind him. He stared into her bright eyes, eyes he could get lost in if he wasn't careful. He saw her shock, her disbelief, her fear of what was happening so quickly.

And then, Youko knew he couldn't give up. Not that he had to begin with, he would tell him himself later. He was doing all of this for her. There were many times where Youko could have just up and left, and had Kagome none the wiser. Tonight, even, he could've not freed her and gone with Hiei. Instead, he was fighting to protect her.

_For you_, he thought.

No sooner did that thought cross his mind then there was a bright, pink light. The hand closing his airways let go and Youko was dumped uncerimoniously onto the ground. He felt a weight land on his legs as Toguro keeled over.

Youko scrambled to his feet and stared at Kagome, who had her hands out in front of her. She looked like she was holding an imagionary bow. She had Shippo next to her, eyes still closed.

She lowered her hands and stared at Youko, taking a small breath. "Well," she began, "I guess we should get out of here as soon as we can.

Youko didn't say anything and just nodded. _And here I thought _I _was saving _her,he thought to himself.

With the care of a mother with her child, Kagome picked up Shippo. She picked her way to Youko, refusing to meet his eyes. Drawing up next to him, she side-by-side with them as they exited the cell.

Scraping against the floor alerted Youko, his ears flicking behind him. Spinning, and pushing Kagome behind him, he saw Toguro slowly get to his feet. He had murder written across his face. With a roar, he launched himself after the two.

Youko didn't think as he grabbed the cell door and slammed it shut. He and Kagome back-pedaled as the demon threw himself into the obstruction. He continued to roar with fury as he banged against it, trying to free himself.

The warehouse began to shudder, a rumbling sound coming from everywhere. Youko looked up and his face was covered in century old cement dust. The building was collapsing.

Kagome made a gurgling noise of disbelief. Youko spun on her. "Which way is out?" he shouted over the roaring.

Kagome nodded down the hallway, her arms full with Shippo.

Youko knew she wouldn't be nearly as fast getting out of the building with Shippo in her arms, and neither would leave him behind. So Youko scooped her up, ignoring her squeak of surprise, and ran down the indicated corridor.

"Tell me where to go," he said in her ear.

Kagome nodded and kept her gaze ahead of them, though she clutched both foxes in her fists.

Youko ran, zigzagging through the maze that made up the warehouse. Kagome told him where to go in a monotone voice, the building coming down on top of them all the while.

The journey was a blur for Youko, who could scarcely remember Kagome's directions when he looked back on everything. They made it out in roughly one peice, scratches and small bruises dotting their skin. The building continued to crumble behind them in the dawn light.

Setting Kagome down, he was confused when she turned around and stared at him like a criminal. She backed up slowly, shaking her head. He could hear her muttering to herself, repeating "He was right, he was right, oh god, he was right..."

Youko looked down at himself and noticed that his claws had disappeared. His clothing had changed to the fighting outfit he had worn when he was turned into a fox. With dred, he knew that his hair was red and his eyes were green. He knew that he had had the enchantment broken, somehow, and that Kagome had just found out that he was Youko, Suuichi, and Yuuki.

Police cars pulled up, sirens calling out to each other as Kurama and Kagome stood there, staring at each other. A paramedic walked up to the brunette and took Shippo from her carefully, calling out the the frenzying nurses that began to load the young boy into the ambulance.

Suuichi knew he had to say something, and Youko silently agreed with him. Taking a step forward, he said softly "Kagome, I..."

He didn't get a chance to finish his sentence as Kagome turned and fled.

* * *

End Chapter

* * *

Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	37. Ch36: Moving On Without You

A/N: T.T Only one chapter left...T.T I'm so sad! I swear, I'm going to cry while writing the final chapter for this story. It's like my baby's all grown up, and it's been less than a year. So depressing...

Anyway, before I get into a little funk that I can't get out of, I should move on. News is that I'm probably going to finish this by tomorrow. More news is if I don't, I won't get an update in until next week. Why? Because ANIME DETOUR IS TOMORROW! X3 Yes, I get to go to an anime convention with my friends and my sister and her friends...I'm so excited!

Enough of that. I'd like to say that this chapter is longer than normal because I couldn't stop too early...I mean, if I did, the next chapter would be Truth length!

But the next chapter should be close anyways. I have a lot planned, and I'm going to cram it all into the final chapter as a thank you to anyone and everyone who has read my stories.

Also, like I've been saying, if you haven't answered the question of a sequal, please do. I really do have one planned if you want one, but I'll only do it if I get enough people going for it. Say...around ten people. 'Kay?

Well, enough of this. I'm sure you're all on the edge of your seats awaiting the next chapter, so I shan't disappoint you!

* * *

A week had already gone by. After being checked by the doctors, Kagome had gone back into her normal routine. Of course, that was excepting the presence of a certain fox. 

She still couldn't believe that he hadn't told her. There were plenty of times where Suuichi- Youko- Yuuki- whoever he was- could have walked up to her and said 'Hey, I'm not only your pet fox, but I'm a human with a demon's soul residing in my body. You've also met every one of my personalities. Hope you don't mind'.

Kagome rolled over in bed and buried her face in her pillow. An entire week, and she still couldn't stop berating herself for not seeing all of the clues. _Like the fact that Yuuki was always gone when I met one of the others, or that the others only came on one of the moon cycles. _

It didn't help at all that, as angry as she was, she still missed them.

Kagome took a deep breath and screamed. Every time she closed her eyes, she could see one of their faces. It didn't make sense, she should be furious! She should want to rip off their heads and put them on pikes in her front lawn. She should want to do sacraficial rituals in the darkest hours of the darkest nights, making offerings to one of the mythalogical gods in the form of a fox. She should chew them out and walk away from them, never regretting anything she did except agreeing to take them in.

As her voice died out, she knew she couldn't do it. Somehow, that _theif _had stolen one thing that she had refused to give up to even the sweetest person. And it irked her.

Why her? Why not one of her friends? Why couldn't they have been honest people, hard working and kind and sweet and... She stopped that train of thought, as it was just reminding her of Suuichi.

She bit her lip. Kagome hadn't even had the courage to let him try and get out of trouble. She had fled like a little girl, like a coward. She had never done anything like that before, even when Naraku had went after her. Even when her boss had tried to blackmail her. _And look how that turned out, _she growled to herself.

She turned her mind to what the investigators had found out. According to them, the building had collapsed from poor upkeep. They had found two dead bodies buried deep under the rubble. Somehow, they also found evidence of Shippo and Kagome's kidnapping.

It was only recently that Kagome discovered why Shippo had kept visiting her. And it made her stomach churn from the sheer inhumanity of it all.

She should have read the signs of abuse wrought on the young boy's face. She should have gone to visit him, checking up on everything where he lived. She should have pressed when she began having suspicions about his well-being. She should've...

_Enough with the 'should have's'! _she screamed. _I _wouldn't _have done anything different!_

But thinking about Shippo, and him being in the hospital, she couldn't help but feel guilty. She felt it was her fault that he was unable to walk anymore, strapped to a hospital bed in Sango's ward with hostile demons surrounding him. She felt it was her fault that he lost his only home that he had ever known. She felt it was her fault that his only family, Kanna and Chinchou, had gone out looking for him and disappeared without a trace. And there was nothing she could do to lighten the guilt that plagued her every minute of her existance.

Knowing she had to get up, for she had work to do, Kagome reluctantly turned over. She had recently been transfered to Sango's hospital, as her old one was closed for investigation. Himitsu was working all the way across town, and it made work very lonely. Sango was way too busy to hang out with Kagome, and the young brunette hadn't had a chance to meet anyone yet.

The only thing that kept her at her job was the fact that she had been put in charge of Shippo's rehabilitation program. She was going to be able to work at helping him adjust to being a demon in a wheelchair, and regardless of how much she deserved to rot in a jail cell for things that she had done, she felt like this would help atone somewhat to her crimes.

Standing, Kagome walked into the bathroom and began to mechanically get ready for work. She would go to the hospital, visit Shippo, then throw herself into her responsibilities and spend the entire day _not _thinking about the demon theif that had somehow stolen her heart.

* * *

After Kagome had ran away, Kurama had just stood there. His arm dropped to his side as he stared after the woman who had captivated him in such a short time. Youko was completely silent. Neither knew what to say to the other, even though they could both feel the pain that was so unfamiliar to the two entities. 

An eternity seemed to stretch before they were snapped out of their funk by a certain short demon. Hiei was standing next to them, his gaze seeming to bore through their very existance. The police swarming the place seemed to pick up on his hostility towards humans (however vague it had become over the years) and left the two demons a rather large area to themselves.

Kurama just turned to him, his face going completely neutral. He nodded in acknowledgement.

"Yuusuke sends his regards. What happened?" Hiei wasn't trying to meet his eyes, which Kurama was thankful for. He didn't want to have to see anything else. He wanted his last sight to be the eyes of the woman he cared for.

"Nothing much. A building collapsed and the two demons are dead." Kurama had a certain finality to his tone that spoke of wanting to be alone.

Of course, Hiei had never left anyone alone when he didn't see an absolute need to. So he asked "What did you do to break the enchantment?"

Kurama shook his head. "I don't know. One minute I was a fox charging a demon, the next, I was in my demon form."

"And you didn't bother to try and find out why that happened?"

"I didn't see a need to."

Hiei frowned slightly. "That isn't like you, fox."

Kurama turned his back to the building. Somehow, it felt like he was turning his back on everything that had happened to him in the past few months, and that was not something he wanted to do. Yet it wasn't his choice and so he was left with no way to continue forward. "I haven't been myself lately."

Hiei nodded and watched Kurama leave in the direction of his apartment. The fox could afford a week or so of time to himself, but after that Hiei would _have _to report to the brat, as loathe as he was to do it. His friend really needed time away from everything to sort things out. As much as Hiei knew that, Koenma wouldn't buy it.

And so Kurama had returned to his apartment and locked himself in his room for a few days. It wasn't like him, but he really hadn't felt like himself since he had met Kagome. Just the thought of her made him sink into a new wave of depression, though he would never admit to being that down.

He made sure to contact his mother, letting her know that he had gone 'on vacation' and was back. He apologized for not telling her, then arranged for them to meet in a month or so for lunch. It was the only contact he had had with the world outside his room for one entire week.

Now, while he was sitting on his bed, he wondered what he would do. He would have to return to work, catch up on his bills...no matter how he felt, life went on. He knew he didn't have a lot of time left to return to the society he had been absent from. He was reluctant to return alone.

He had hardly slept at all in the week since Kagome had ran away from him. He couldn't seem to get comfortable. After sleeping next to the young woman every night for over two months (was it really only that long that he had lived with her?), he missed her comforting presence.

Kurama shook his head, telling himself he needed to get his mind off of her for a while. As soon as he turned his mind's eye away from Kagome's glowing face, his mind immediately siezed on the image of the young fox he had grown to like.

He hadn't visited Shippo in a while, and the last time he had seen the boy was when he was in the warehouse. It would be nice for him to visit, especially since they could talk normally now that he was back in his human form. The boy had already known Yuuki was Youko, so it wouldn't take much to stretch his mind to accomidate the fact that Youko was also Suuichi.

_It will be much easier than if I had tried to convince Kagome of it, at least, _he told himself. Making the decision, he stood and began to dress for a hospital visit.

* * *

End Chapter

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Any questions? Comments? Suggestions? Please review. 


	38. Ch38: Say You'll Be There

Final Author's Note: Wah! T-T ACE is done, ACE is done, ACE IS ENDED! T-T Excuse me while I wipe the tears from my eyes as I write my final A/N for the entire story...

Okay, I feel a bit better now. So, my final words. What shall they be? Well, I've got a lot of people asking for a sequal, so I think that I'm going to write it soon. Maybe after this weekend...but if I do, I'm going to concentrate more on Truth because that's the next one in line to be finished.

So, final thoughts? Anyone?

My sister gave me a slight idea for a side fic, though. What do you guys think about doing a sort of blooper's one-shot? Do you have anything you want to see, say a part of my story that goes completely and horribly wrong? If so, please review and tell me what you want to see, if you like my blooper idea.

She's also kicking me into writing a book, along with my brother. I already have an idea, too. I'm kinda excited about it!

You know, I just realized...this chapter title is also the name of a very old Spice Girls song...which is on my iPod. It really does reflect the last chapter, now that I think of it. Kinda crazy, huh?

Finally, I have thank you's to give out to people. So...

**Thank you: **April-nee-chan (first reviewer ever!), LIES-14, Iridescent Twilight, Dragon, soul of agony, treelovr, atamagaokashii Ookami, Crystal Statue, Spike'sSavior, kimonoprincess, ranchan23 (I do believe you reviewed every chapter!), lady shadowsinger, unonome, sweetangelkags, Kogome-cutie, domichik, opp, FireFox ShadowWolf, AnimeMoonlightGoddess (thanks for your suggestions), lonelylulaby, Ryukotsusei, firevixen73, YoukoLover, otakualways, Raining Thunder, snowy-cherry, HelKatz, regretfully-yours-Cassie-chan (do you ever write anything other than 'please update soon'? It's kinda funny that you never react to anything...I think), ShadeSpirit, JoWashington, BlueMonkey89, Kimpatsu no Hoseki, Shabopo, vixenia, Calamity Kitsune, vi3tdream27, GreatestAnimeFreak, KawaiiYuki, xxprincess-sakuraxx, purp1ebabe, Ai Kane Yuri Kaiya, Silver Phoenix7, IchikoKitsuneKoumori, wee-little-kitsune, Jin-ashi, storywriter10791, Kitsune Kagome, Seshou1388, silver pup, kaze kitsune, Chibes, DarkGoddessAluthri, KuraiMiko37, Water Block, Fallon85, LuzdeVida, Vampry, Captain Starseeker (your loyal author and lieutenant, Kittey Rin X3), Forest Sprite, mizushoubai, Hoshiko Megami, Black Hands, Jjah-Jjah, TigerLuvr, pitbull123, Mischeivious Skyla, Tsuki-tora (I still love your name...), SnarlingDemoness, anette, Adaire, BloodspillerInuluver, susie202, Rainbows of Death, Cascading Fates, dragon18, FFchick, WhyWhatShutup, Kokoro Mizu no Kaze, Kaggy-chan2202, siren66, Hot Anime Guy Here's Girl, Inu-babe666, Katesy (Don't use my account again to review myself), Vanya the Elven Maiden of the Valar, Kagome-reincarnation, inukuramaRmine, Shadow Girl, Chaotic Rei, Kurama'sFoxyMiko, Falling Tenshi, Kagomente, dragon85, ShihanKitsune, roxworld, Sapphire Dragon R.E.L., Battousai's Loyal Wolf, yukikaza, EnV, Sesshomaru vs. Inuyasha-, midnightloon, Ajangel0, Rage, Deviant Kitsune, LoosingReality, NiraVarali, MeganD., Naraku'sgirl2, Night Ember, Anonymous, Cheeses and snaps, lunasun72, koiichi no namae kaitou, Victoria, C.S, Yuki Amida, Bloodcherry, Raito Hana, LadyAkina, in luv with cold hearted guys, KOGA, Black Fire Kitsune 666, Magical-Inkable-Pen-Of-The-Rubber-Duckies-Who-Lives-On-Durly-Lane-With-The-Muffin-Man-Duck-And-His-Muffin-Friends (Oo Long name...), Kage Youkai, Seishi Sairensuno, articulus, crimson-asylum, Chi-Chi Kudarina, BluesDaughter, Annoying Little Twit, Kalliara, MoonFace01, waikan, amishamj, hakkai-my-youkai, FuzzyPurpleWatermelons (thanks for catching all my mistakes), o0darkangel0o, SoarMoreFlyHigher, animebook fan, lone-wolf, Du Weldenvarden Farcai, Kagome Lady of Darkness, stepyshouse, LLLJJJ, stuck-in-a-tree, Outlaw-Lanaya, Mercurial Phoenix (I spelled it right this time! XP), lady silverfox aka mychelle (sorry if there's more, your name is cut off), Akikazu, FoxRin(keep up the german-outside-of-class thing, it's cool!), Jessie-Jane1, CyberGirl Rei, Rose, and anyone who reviews _A Chance Enounter_ in the future. I couldn't have done it without you.

* * *

Kurama watched Shippo's eyes open as he approached the hospital bed. The young boy looked much better than he had, even if his smile was somewhat strained and painful. His greeting was filled with both happiness and sorrow, and it pulled at what few heartstrings he had left that hadn't been cut by Kagome's departure. 

"Hey, Kurama. I'm glad you came to visit me." Shippo was strapped to the bed, his body unmoving. It took Kurama only a moment to realize that the young boy was paralyzed.

"Sorry I took so long. I'm still settling into life again after..." He didn't finish his sentence. "Anyways, I'm sorry that it took so long for someone to get you."

Shippo smiled. "That's alright. Really, it is. You and Kagome came to get me, and that's all that matters. You came." Shippo watched Kurama's expression as he said Kagome's name. He was amused to realize that both adults had the same expression of sadness and longing in their eyes.

Kurama pushed away the pain that threatened to rise up again and concentrated on talking to Shippo. He took a seat next to the boy. "We really should have arrived sooner. I would have, if certain people hadn't stuffed me into a closet."

Shippo would've winced if he had had the ability to. "Ouch. Don't tell me you threw a fit?" At Kurama's nod, he sighed. "Well, at least you didn't hurt anyone."

Kurama smiled and began to fill their time with meaningless small talk. Both stayed away from the topics of Kagome and Shippo's past, even though Kurama wanted to help lift Shippo's burden and the young boy wanted to get Kagome and the red-head back together so they could be happy.

Shippo wasn't blind and could see that the two loved each other, as much as neither would admit to the other without help. So Shippo decided it was his duty to keep Kurama with him and talking until he knew Kagome would be making her way for his check-up, and then plead exhaustion just before she came down his hall. With luck, she would see Kurama and know that she had to check over him and her duty would keep her from running away.

* * *

Kagome checked her watch as she wandered the halls. It was almost time for Shippo to get checked again. She turned down the hall connecting the rehab facilities and the hospital and decided that she could make her way there early so that she could talk with the boy a little more. 

She had been very surprised when the young fox had woken up and had an immense understanding of how the real world worked. It seemed like he had grown up into a tired old man in the span of two days, and Kagome had no doubt it was all due to what had happened in his life. He seemed so old now...

Kagome shook her head as she turned to down the hall right before Shippo's. He had taken the news of his families disappearance silently, just staring ahead of him. That wasn't good, and she would have to get him to open up to someone soon. It would consume him otherwise.

Turning down Shippo's hallway, Kagome looked up to the sound of a door opening. With horror, she watched as the one person she was trying to keep from her thoughts exited Shippo's rooms.

_What is he doing here? _her mind cried. _I'm not supposed to see him again so soon! I'm not ready! _He still hadn't noticed her, and she knew it was only a matter of time. She couldn't leave the way she came, for she wouldn't have time to avoid him in a side hallway and make it in time to work with Shippo. She also couldn't sneak by him, for there was a reason Shippo was down a hall with no other patients. There were no other rooms because the young boy had horrible nightmares from which he awoke screaming bloody murder. He would have disturbed anyone near him if he were in any other area.

Still frozen, mouth slightly open and eyes ready to pop out of her skull, Kagome watched with a detatched coolness in her mind as Suuichi turned and spotted her. His expression became much like Kagome's herself, and it would have been hilarious in any other situation to see how much they mirrored each other.

Kurama was the first to break out of his shock at seeing Kagome there. He really wasn't ready to deal with her rejecting him again, but he knew he had to at least _try _and explain himself to her. He opened his mouth to start his confession but was stopped by Kagome first.

"Don't even say anything," she snapped. Her eyes darkened as shock was replaced with a smoldering anger. Every other emotion was forcefully stuffed into the depths of her soul. "I don't want to hear whatever you want to say, since all you seem to do it lie to me."

She began to walk towards Shippo's door. She had almost made it when Kurama grabbed her arm.

Struggling slightly, Kagome nearly growled. "Let go of me! I have nothing to say to you, so you can just leave me the hell alone and never see me again."

Kurama let the words wash over him, refusing to let them affect him. "Just let me explain for one minute, Kagome. You have to give me a chance to explain myself and why I didn't tell you!"

Kagome glared at him. "And why should I? All you've ever said to me was lies, why should I believe you? What do I owe you that would let you talk to me?"

Kurama's anger rose slightly, but he kept it at bay...mostly. Some of it must have leaked into his voice, for it was harsher than he would have liked. "I saved your life three times when I was with you. The least you can do is listen to me and give me a chance to say what I have to say."

Kagome pulled her arm away and Kurama let her go. She stood with her arms crossed as she stared at him furiously. "Well, I haven't got all day. Spout out your lies and then let me move on with my life."

Kurama took a breath to calm himself and then looked straight into her eyes. "I didn't lie to you, ever. I would never lie if I could help it, lies just hurt people. When you hit me with your car," he noticed that Kagome winced there, "I had been newly changed into a fox by a spell cast by a sorceress on a mission in the demon realm. I was injured and confused and didn't see you, and by the time I had everything sorted out, Botan had already got you to agree to take care of me.

"I needed a place to stay where the hordes of demons after my life wouldn't find me. I couldn't stay with anyone I knew because I had been seen around them too many times. I couldn't be taken in by just any stranger because my demon soul is too picky a person to let just any person be in charge of our well-being. I stayed with you because you fell under neither category of stranger nor friend."

Kagome's stance tensed a bit. Kurama continued. "I didn't realize that the spell let me turn into my other forms until it actually happened. When I was Youko for the first time, I was trying to contact my friends when we literally ran into each other." Kurama took it as a good sign when Kagome's mouth twitched slightly. "I couldn't have you screaming your head off and bringing who knows what onto my head while I was like that, so I had to carry you someplace where I could explain what I was. I could tell you didn't believe me, and it never occured to me to try and say that I was Yuuki. After changing back, I returned to your house because I still couldn't live on my own like that.

"When I became Suuichi, I had just been trying to get to my house when your friend pulled me into that double date. I enjoyed it so much it never crossed my mind to explain myself to you. By the time I woke up, I was already a fox. Then, the second time I became Youko, I was too distracted to even think of anything else than the present. Then all that stuff with the warehouse happened and by the time I got a chance to try and tell you everything, you ran off."

Kurama waited while Kagome processed everything. She asked him a single question. "Why?"

Kurama blinked. Kagome looked at him with solomn eyes. Sometime during his explaination she had lost most of her anger and depression had caught up with her. She was still mad that he hadn't bothered telling her, but he did have a valid explaination and she couldn't stay as furious at him as she had thought she was.

"Why what?" Kurama asked. "I'm afraid I don't know what you mean."

Kagome took a deep breath. "Why me? Why this? Why," she waved her hand around vaguely, "why any of it? Why?"

Kurama sighed as he thought. "You want the truth?" Kagome nodded. "I don't know why. I don't know why you out of all of the women in the world, I don't know why everything has happened. I don't know." He shrugged.

Kagome hung her head. They were both silent, neither wanting to speak before the other.

Finally, Kagome plucked up her infamous courage and said "So, what now? Do we just go back to being strangers?"

Kurama's face fell slightly. "If you want to, I'll leave and never bother you again."

"And if I want to see you every day for the rest of my life? What then?" Kagome looked up and kept her face blank.

Kurama, confused, replied "Then I'll be there for you."

Kagome took a deep breath and smiled slightly. "I'd like that."

Kurama returned her smile. "Then we agree." Walking forward, Kurama pulled Kagome into an embrace.

Youko, who hadn't spoken since the fight, growled. _You idiot, we're supposed to _kiss_ her!  
_

Chuckling, Kurama pulled back. He was very pleased when Kagome had the same idea, her lips meeting his halfway between them.

* * *

_Epilogue_

_

* * *

_ Kagome, wearing basic jeans and a beat-up, short sleeved t-shirt, pulled one of the many boxes crowding the kitchen towards her. She only had a little bit left to pack, and then she would be out of this place for good. She quickly piled the last kitchen utensils into the cardboard being and closed it.

Sitting back on her knees, she took a good look at her townhome one last time. She would really miss the place, with all of its memories. Both the good and the bad. This was where she had first met her friends, way back when they were all in college. This was where Naraku had began his attempts at wooing her. This was also where she had met the guy she would fall in love with, in the form of a mischievous little fox.

Her sad eyes took in the vast emptiness of the entire area. The movers had already taken her stuff to Kurama's apartment, where she was moving in with him. She had sold half of the doubles they had, along with the red-head getting rid of the other half of the doubles. Her home had already been sold to a new family. There was really nothing left for her in this beat up place, with the holes in the walls where Kagome's temper threw the doorknob into them, and the scratches on the counters from all of the stress Kagome took out of them, chips coming off of the wooden moulding, showing the signs of a veteran from a battle long past.

The door opened behind her and Kagome turned around. Kurama, looking very good in casual clothing, walked up behind her. "You alright?" he asked when he saw the slightly depressed expression on her face.

Kagome nodded and stood. "Yeah, I'm alright." Walking forward, she met Kurama in a short embrace and placed a chaste kiss on his cheek. "I'm just going to miss this place more than I thought."

She turned in Kurama's arms and faced the living room, or what was left of it. Kurama placed his chin on her head, relishing in the warmth that Kagome was emitting. "I'm glad your coming with me, if that's of any consequence," he told her.

Kagome smiled. "I'm glad I'm going with you. But that doesn't mean I can't be sad over leaving the first place I've ever owned by myself."

Kurama nodded. "I'd be very surprised if you weren't sad. This is where so much of the events that effected who you are happened, and I know that if I were in your place, I would feel exactly the same way."

Kagome looked up at him. "That was very deep."

"I'm a deep person." Kurama stepped back and picked up one of the last two boxes. "I'll be outside waiting for you, so take your time."

Kagome nodded and watched him leave. Her smile faded slowly as she spun around once more. She wanted to burn the image into her head of the place where her fate had unfolded before her, giving her a foster son (she had been proposing for adoption, but the government wouldn't sign yet. It helped Kagome sleep at night to know Shippo wasn't in some horrible situation like before) and a lover in the span of a few months.

With great reluctance, Kagome bent down and picked up the last box. She rested it on her hip and slowly turned to the door. This would be the last time she ever set foot in this place, unless by some miracle she bought it somewhere down the line and it was still there. Walking through the hallway, with all of its gouges present and accounted for, she approached the door. Walking into the sunlight and shutting the door behind her, she couldn't help but think that she was closing the door to her past experiences and moving on into a bright new future.

* * *

End Story

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Thank you for reading _A Chance Encounter_. 


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